Inner Desires
by 8Dwriter-in-training8D
Summary: This is a story about a girl who's past is a secret, a story about love and friendship between team7, watch as Sasuke and Naruto find out about Sakura's past. Where the two boys and the girl create a bond that will last forever...
1. Chapter 1: Naruto Uzumaki!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**This story is mainly based on friendship and platonic love for team 7. There might possibly be a couple but it is not certain. Here the story will go just as it did in the original Naruto series with a few twists and it is mainly about Sakura. The Characters will keep their personalities, with a bit of an exception with Sakura. In this story, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke are friends from a young age but like in the original: Naruto has a crush on Sakura; Sakura has a crush on Sasuke, Sasuke and Naruto hate each other's guts but have a brotherly relationship and so on, the only difference is that Sasuke and Sakura have a strong (friendship) bond too. We'll start when Sakura meets Naruto.**

**Note: this is my first fan-fiction so I want my reviewers to mark the slightest mistake with a sharp critical eye, no matter how insignificant it is… for example: if I use a word too many times or I use the same expression too often. I mainly want you to see if I got the commas (,) or points (.) right because I suck at those.**

**I also want you to explain WHY if you don't like it so I can correct my mistake or something; finally, I hope you enjoy! **

**Ps: if there is a synonym to a certain word you know please tell me.**

**Prologue**

"The land of Fire" or "Fire country" as most people call it, is one of the largest and most powerful countries.

It was the first to adopt a ninja village, Konohagakure.

Konoha or otherwise known as "the hidden leaf village" is one of the five great ninja villages in Fire Country, in which a great demon fox known as the fearful Kyubi attacked one night.

The fourth Hokage, Yodaime Namikaze, died in succeeding to seal the fox away in a human child to protect the village, the mother of the child died giving birth to him while the demon got sealed away in the child's navel, a permanent mark printed on his belly... a burden the child would forever carry wherever he goes for the rest of his life.

**Chapter 1: Uzumaki Naruto!**

A girl about the age of six walked along the streets of Konoha, humming happily to herself; her short, bubble gum pink hair blew softly in the wind like Sakura pedals and eyes the color of precious emeralds sparkled in the sun.

The girl was walking towards the park to pick some of her favorite flowers, passing many people who were either rushing or taking their time going about their business.

Reaching the park, she gave a content sigh as the scent of flowers waft her nostrils. She walked along, the grass tickling her toes, the calm breeze softly stroking her skin, the sound of other children playing at the playground close by…

The sound of other children screaming and running away from the playground close by…

Wait, what?

She paused, her happy thoughts coming to an abrupt halt as she saw other kids running away from the playground, a few younger ones about the age of four rushed passed her screaming, "Run! It's the monster!" the little girl panicked for a second, thinking there really was a monster nearby and spun her head around left and right but saw nothing, in the distance not too far she saw other older kids braving the 'danger' and decided to attack this… thing they were screaming about.

She heard a "Die you beast!" or "outcast! Do us all a favor and leave the village!"

One of the kids shouted "freak!" and the others agreed, echoing the word.

She looked in the direction of the playground and walked over to the group of 8 year olds, curious about all this commotion.

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What she saw the bigger kids beating up made her freeze in her tracks…

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A boy her age was crying and withering in pain as the others beat him up for a reason unknown to her.

Tattered blonde hair, three stripes on each cheek, kind of like whiskers adorned his dirty face, his clothes worn and ripped.

A spark of recognition flared in her eyes as she recalled seeing this boy before… He's the infamous troublemaker!

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Her eyes narrowed at his state, he tried to defend himself but it was all in vain as the punches, kicks and rocks hit him continually; it was then Sakura decided to help the boy; troublemaker or not, nobody deserved to be treated like that!

"Hey!" her shout earning a few glances, "leave him alone! He didn't do anything to you, you can't treat him like that!" she yelled and pulled one of the older kids away from the blonde boy; the kids sneered as the blond stared on with shock, "Do you even know what that is? He's the village's freak; we have every right to treat him like the low life he is!" a girl yelled, making the pink haired girl's eyes flare up this time in anger when the snobby girl in front of her called the boy what instead of who.

"Well if you all think he's a low life then you're lowering yourselves even more with what you're doing!"

She yelled back, stepping in front of the boy, earning scowls and glares from the older kids.

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"Whatever, I'm leaving" a boy from the group stated and started walking away; muttering, the kids slowly and grudgingly scattered as the girl glared at their backs, soon all of them left the blonde boy and the pink haired girl alone in the playground.

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The blonde looked at the girl shocked; _did she just… help me?_ The boy thought, sniffling, his brain was still processing what just happened as he looked at the girl as confused as ever. This must have been a trick, he was sure of it, he turned his head left and right to see if there was anyone else around but he saw nobody. He jumped, startled when he saw a hand in front of his face, flinching in reflex, he looked up and was met face to face with green eyes.

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The girl gave a satisfied huff and turned around to actually get a good look at the boy, his blonde hair was dirty, messy and stuck out in odd angles but looking at his dirt covered, tear stained face, eyes as blue as the precious Safire but bloodshot and wet was what shot a twinge of sympathy through her being; she saw him look around confused and inwardly sighed, stretching out a hand for him to take and startling him in the process, he looked at her hand as if not knowing what to do, she rolled her eyes playfully and giggled, "you're supposed to take it silly!" the strawberry blonde chirped, he hesitated for a second but softly put his hand in hers and she helped him get off the ground, "w-why did you help me?" the blonde asked, still puzzled by these kind actions the girl gave him as he sniffed and wiped away his tears with his wrist; the girl crossed her arms and pouted, "I had to, those meanies can't just bully someone like that!" the girl huffed but her frown turned into a bright smile, "My name is Sakura! Sakura Haruno! What's yours?" the girl said and jabbed her thumb on her chest to emphasize her point, holding out a hand out again. The boy looked at her hand as she waited for him to shake it but his gaze shifted on the ground, "Why are you nice to me? Didn't you hear them? I'm a… monster…" he whispered, voice barely audible and cracked a bit. Sakura lowered her hand and furrowed her brows, "Hm…" the girl hummed as she closed in and stopping an inch away from his face; not used to being so close to someone he backed away, puzzled as she put her hand on her chin in a thinking gesture.

She then circled him, looking at him up and down with a thinking expression as if studying an experiment, his eyes followed her every movement with a very confused and cautious look on his face.

She circled him a few more times until she stopped in front of him again, reaching out and cupped his face with both hands, also wiping some dirt off of his cheeks in the process, he winced a bit but made no move; a touch besides a violent one was unknown to him.

The girl turned his head a bit left and right like a makeup artist would do before starting her work on her client, she then evened out his head and looked at him straight in the eye, making him fidget slightly as she invaded his personal space bubble.

Finally she let go and backed away a bit.

"Well… you don't look like a monster, I wonder what the others see besides a dirty little boy in front of me" she mused, scratching her arm in a confused way, the boy looked at her, shocked at what she said, did he hear right?

"y-you don't think I'm dangerous?" he asked, a small spark of hope appeared in his eyes when the girl giggled, "ha-ha! Dangerous? Are you kidding? You don't look like any of those things the bullies said!" she chirped and flashed him a cheeky grin; a grin of his own spreading across his face at the girl's statement, "so what's your name?" she finally asked again, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" the blond named Naruto shouted happily and smiled back at her, "Ok Naruto, do you want to play with me?" she asked but was slightly taken aback when his eyes grew a bit watery, his expression showed pure happiness and looking like he just won the lottery, she was surprised when he said nothing but nodded his head eagerly, "ok let's go!" she grinned and touched the boy's arm, "tag! You're it!" she laughed and ran away, he looked confused for a moment but then caught on, recalling that he used to watch other kids play this game; understanding how to play, he bolted after her shouting for her to get back here.

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Sakura fell on her back, exhausted after playing almost all day with Naruto, the sun was just above the horizon "wow, what a fun day, I'm tired" she huffed as the blond lay down next to her on the soft grass, "yeah, I've never been so happy in all my life! We played on the swings, the merry-go-round, the slide and the seesaw! Thanks for teaching me how to swing and play tag and hide and seek Sakura-Chan! Remember how you-" he ranted on and on, babbling to her about whatever came on his mind, seeming to not be tired one bit even if he was panting, dirty and sweaty.

"Oh… I'm hungry…" she grumbled as she held her growling stomach, the blond nodded and sat up, "yeah me too… but where can we eat? I'm not very welcomed in most stores…" _in any store actually_ the six year old boy looked down in sadness, the strawberry blonde sat up along with him, placing a hand on his shoulder, her expression mirroring his but suddenly a smile split her face when an idea popped in her mind, "Oh I know! Naruto do you like ramen?" she asked and the boy looked at her and nodded frantically, "Yeah, yeah, yeah! I Love ramen!" he chirped as they got up, "Cool! I'll take you to a great ramen place, there are very nice people there and I'm sure they'll let you in!" she smiled and pulled his hand for him to follow but he didn't budge, she looked at him with a puzzled expression as he yet again stared at the ground, "I… I don't think they'll be nice to someone like me… I mean… look at me…" he closed his eyes and lowered his head, chewing his lower lip in a nervous manner; she placed both hands on his shoulders and made him look at her, "yeah… you're right." She stated and he lowered his head back down, a pang of hurt jabbing his chest but he looked up in surprise at her next sentence, "nobody would let you in all dirty and stinky like this, come to think of it they wouldn't let me neither, we need to clean up" she said, "were is your house? We'll clean up there" she smiled and gestured for him to lead the way, he paused for a second but then nodded and they started walking towards his apartment.

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On the way to the apartment she noticed every person they passed stared at Naruto in either disgust or hate and they were staring at her as if she were insane, she did not like that and was very tempted to shout 'what are you looking at?' at all of them but kept her mouth shut.

Naruto was fidgeting and tried not to make any eye contact with anyone even if he felt the glares melt into his back, he hated walking along the public areas but if it made Sakura-Chan happy then he would do it for her.

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Finally they reached an old, run down apartment, Naruto took his key out of his pocket, unlocked the door and they stepped inside; he scratched the back of his head nervously when he saw the pinkette scrunch up her nose slightly at the dirty place, "well… it's not much and certainly needs work but its home." He chuckled nervously and they walked all the way to the bathroom, "this place needs a girl's touch" Sakura stated as she rinsed off the bathtub of dust and dirt and filling half of it with warm water, she spotted three unused bottles of body soap, shampoo and conditioner. She opened one to find that it wasn't even opened for as long as it's been there! The girl turned around and placed her hands on her hips in a childish manner, a scowl on her cute face "Naruto how long has it been since you've taken a bath?" she asked the blond who was playing with his fingers awkwardly; he always hated baths and after the incident where Iruka forced him in the tub and washed him thoroughly, he hadn't stepped in the bathroom for weeks, he only washed his face in the sink or swam in the lake to get the stench off, in all honesty he hadn't remembered when he had last taken a proper bath, "I… uh… I don't remember…" he couldn't lie under Sakura's hard stare so he blurted out the truth, still playing with his fingers in a shy fashion.

She walked up to him and poked his chest, "alright mister, take off your shirt and get in the tub; it's time for you to take a bath!" Sakura's statement sounded more like an order, the blonde's eyes widened and stepped away from the girl, "But Sakura-Chan, I hate baths!" he whined as each step she took towards him, he took one back, "too bad, you're stinky and need one no matter how much you hate it, now come here before I throw you in myself!" she yelled and stomped her foot on the ground but the blond did not obey, instead he turned tail and started running out of the bathroom, away from her and she unfortunately had to chase him, "Naruto! Get back here!" her stern voice making the boy flinch but he decided to keep running.

He finally reached his room, finding a spot to hide in, he jumped under the dirty pile of clothes as Sakura ran in after him; she saw dirty clothes everywhere, spotting a few empty or half empty ramen bowls but no Naruto, she carefully scanned the area and finally spotted a few yellow tuffs sticking out under a large pile of clothes, she smirked and quietly took a blanket beside her, opening it, "now where can he be?" she fake mused and stalked towards the pile. Moments passed and she hopped on top of the pile "maybe he's here!" she yelled, effectively catching the boy as she heard a yelp and felt a struggle under her, she wrapped the blanket around him like a net and pulled him out of the dirty laundry, "you're coming with me mister!" she chirped as she looked at the humorous sight before her, Naruto was wrapped like sushi in the blanket with only his head sticking out, struggling to get free; he only managed to get his arms free as he tried to get the rest of the blanket off "No please Sakura- Chan! I don't want a bath!" he whined and yelled, with tears in his eyes as she comically pulled him by the feet to the bathroom with difficulty, his nails scratching the floor as he struggled to break free but his efforts were all in vain when she closed the door and locked it, any hope of escaping was squished.

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In their huge struggle Sakura managed to get his shirt and shoes off, now how to get the blanket off and him in the tub; no way was she going to remove his pants.

Naruto was released and made a dash for the door but before he managed to unlock it, arms wrapped around his torso and pulled him towards the tub "Ah! No! You can't make me!" he gripped the door knob as Sakura struggled with him to release it, Naruto lost his grip and they stumbled backwards… and both of them fell in the bathtub with a large splash, coughing and sputtering. Sakura's clothes were drenched; she saw Naruto trying to get out of the slippery tub but she grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to sit.

"Sit! Stay! Bad Naruto!" she scolded, lifting a finger and sternly looking at him in the eye, (this gesture you often see an owner doing this to their disobedient dog) the boy gave a cute pout, "Sakura-Chaaaaan! I don't wanna bath!" he whined again as she took the orange scented shampoo and squirted a large amount on his head, lathering it up; the blonde finally sighed in defeat, crossing his arms, a displeased pout evident on his cute face but soon it melted into a smile and closed his eyes in bliss as she massaged his scalp, trying to make it a bit enjoyable for him.

It worked, the happy sigh escaping his lips proof of her success, "hm… that feels nice Sakura-Chan…" the boy sighed in content as she even washed behind his ears, tilting his head to the side as she scratched one of them, the girl giggled, "ha-ha! Naruto you look like a puppy!" she laughed and took the shower hose, "now put your head back a bit" she said, he tilted his head back and she carefully rinsed away the shampoo off his hair, when she was done she picked up the sponge, "Now my turn Sakura-Chan!" the boy shouted happily and picked up the shampoo, "huh?" the girl looked at him oddly, "it's my turn to wash your hair!" he chirped and before she could say anything he squirted the shampoo on her head, lathering it up like she did to him, "it's ok Naruto I can do that when I go home, you're the one who needs washing!" she said and took his hands away from her head, but he gave her a pleading look, "Please? I wanna help too!" he said, the girl sighed and let the happy blond wash her hair.

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When she rinsed, she took the sponge and squirted some body soap on it, lathering it up and glanced at Naruto who was playing with the bubbles, "turn around so I can wash your back, you can do the rest yourself after" she said and he nodded, turning around in his seated position, she then started scrubbing his back and Naruto melted into bliss once more, "wow… when Iruka-sensei forced me to take a bath it didn't feel so good, soap always got in my eyes and it sometimes even hurt a bit (from the pressure Iruka used on him to make him stay still) when he washed me but now it feels really nice… Can you go a little to the left?" he smiled and gave another sigh as she hit the spot.

They played a bit in the tub, blowing bubbles at each other and splashing one another.

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"Ok Naruto I'm done!" she finished and stepped out of the bath after rinsing him and herself to rid off the soap, Naruto blinked "it's over already? But I want another bath!" he whined, the girl looked annoyed, "No Naruto, I'm tired and hungry" she said and found three towels that somehow managed to stay clean in the bathroom, "well… ok maybe next time?" he asked, eyes filled with happiness, Sakura shook her head no, "I showed you how to take a bath so you should be fine by yourself next time!" she stated and his happy face drooped but another smile quickly replaced it, "Ok thanks Sakura-Chan, so we get ready and go eat now?" he asked as the six year old boy got out of the tub as well, catching a towel she tossed him, "yeah!" she said as they both toweled their heads dry, they looked at each other for a moment, each looking at the others hair and they burst out laughing, "your hair looks like a porcupine's!" Sakura laughed, "Yours look like a fluffy cat's!" Naruto replied.

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"Finally we were able to find clean clothes! And I had to change into yours because you got mine all wet!" Sakura scolded and tugged the loose white shirt she had along with baggy grey pants, Naruto only scratched the back of his head, that gesture often came when he was nervous or embarrassed, "Sorry, at least we found some right?" he laughed slightly and looked at his own attire, a loose orange shirt with black baggy shorts, "here we are!" the girl chirped and pointed at the sign, "Ichiraku?" asked the boy, shifting from foot to foot nervously, "yeah! The ramen is great here!" she smiled and dragged him inside, a few people were seated on the stools and the duo sat as well.

Sakura smiled at Naruto to help him ease his nervousness, he gave a small grin in return but it faded quickly and got replaced by a full out distressed look when the few people in the small shop gave him ice cold glares, soon all got up and left immediately after paying up, mumbling curse words at the blond but Sakura glared right back, sticking her tongue out at them, they glared but said nothing and left, the store emptied quickly.

A middle aged man around 50 came out of the kitchen to the front and looked to see the counter empty with money and half eaten bowls of ramen instead of people, only two kids were left in the shop, "where'd all my customers go?" He wondered and scratched his head, then spotting a familiar pink head, "oh, hello Sakura! How are you today? Who is your friend?" the chubby man asked, smiling at the grinning girl, "Hello Teuchi-san! I'm great! This is Naruto Uzumaki, a new friend I met today!" she declared and the man narrow his eyes as he got a good look at the boy; blonde, spiky hair, blue eyes, **whiskers on his cheeks…**

"I'm sorry Sakura but I'm going to have to ask your friend to leave" the man ordered, his soft tone turning a bit stony and Sakura's eyes widened, the blond of course expected this…

…but that didn't stop the feeling of rejection blossoming in his chest.

"Not you too Teuchi-san!" the girl shouted, slamming her small fists on the table, "he didn't do anything! Why do you hate him?" the man looked at the girl, a bit hesitant "it's hard to explain Sakura" he said, "but it's not fair! He's a good boy, just let him stay! Please, for me." Sakura begged, the man sighed at her large teary eyes and nodded "alright, just this once" he mumbled, "The usual for Sakura of course, now what would you like?" he asked Naruto, his expression softening at the blonde's edgy state, "O-one miso please" Naruto stuttered, looking at the man as if he was expecting him to abruptly pick him up by the collar any second and throw him out like everyone else had done; the man nodded "Ayame! Get me one plain and one miso!" he yelled towards the Kitchen, a "yes father!" and the sound of shuffling was heard inside.

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Finally Teuchi placed the steaming bowls in front of them and they started digging in, Naruto had already shoveled all the ramen down his throat by the time Sakura even finished half of it, "Wow sir! This is the best ramen I've ever tasted! Can I have some more?" the young boy handed out the bowl for more, surprising both the man and girl, a smile slowly spread across Teuchi's face, "of course you can my boy!"

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Sakura's nerves were about to burst, _I know I said I'll treat him to ramen but five bowls are going way overboard! I can't pay that much! He's eating like he hasn't eaten in years!_

Her thoughts paused;

_Maybe he hasn't even had a chance to enjoy a proper meal with all those stupid people…_

"This is great! Hey Sakura-Chan I'm full you wanna go?" the boy asked, "yeah ok" she said, and placed all of her money on the table and counted the yen, "oh no… Teuchi-san I don't have enough money… I only have enough to pay three bowls…" the girl said guiltily, the man sighed but smiled, "it's alright Sakura, you can pay me tomorrow, don't forget ok? In favor of my number two top favorite customers" the man said with a grin and took out a notebook and wrote it down, Sakura nodded and both stepped out of the shop.

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Naruto felt bad…

He looked at his feet, "Sakura-Chan?" he asked as they walked along the path; the sun had almost set, painting the sky a pink and orange color, "hm?" she hummed and glanced at him to see guilt written all over his face, "I should have eaten only one bowl, I'm sorry you have to pay more than you were suppose to" he mumbled, the girl smiled and ruffled his hair in a playful gesture, "nah, don't worry about it, you looked really hungry anyway, I'm more than happy to help my friend" she said and the boy froze.

_**A… friend?**_

Naruto's mind was running a mile a second, his heart rate quickening as he soaked up the words he just heard, shock weaving and pumping through his veins "Friend? You want to be my friend?" he gasped and his eyes widened, Sakura didn't notice his tense stature and his breath hitching when she said what she did, "Of course silly! I decided that the moment I met you!" she smiled but frowned when she saw his bangs shadow his eyes as he lowered his head once more, shocked to see a tear slipping down his cheek, sparkling in the remaining sunlight.

She quickly placed her hands on his shoulders, worry nipping at her being, "Naruto what's the matter? Did I say something wrong? What-" she was silenced as the wind got knocked out of her while her petite frame got squeezed to death.

Naruto hugged her tightly, "You don't know how long I've waited for someone to say that!" he sobbed loudly, the girl was startled; she backed away, placing her hands on his shoulders to look at him.

His face was covered in tears and a bit of snot while he rubbed his eye with his small fist, trying not to cry but not able to help it, he hiccupped as she wiped a tear away with her thumb, his eyes sparkled with the crystal tears, "Y-you don't know…" his voice cracked, the girl only smiled, "Naruto… you're one of my first friends too" she said and softly wrapped her arms around him in a friendly, comforting embrace; he rested his head on her shoulder and hugged back, "I don't… don't want to be alone… any… anymore!" he hiccupped, his voice pitching a high note as he cried.

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Sakura let him cry and listened to him pour his heart out as they sat down on a bench.

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After about an hour he had finally stopped crying all together and settled down to small hiccups and sniffs.

"Are you ok now?" she asked as they broke the hug, he sniffed a bit and nodded, a small smile forming on his face, "thank you Sakura-Chan…" he whispered, "you're welcome" she said and looked at the time, "oh my, we both better go home, we need rest! I need to round up the rest of the money I have to-"

"I'll pay for it" Naruto interrupted, "I'll find the money and pay" he repeated, "oh its ok-" she began but he cut her off again, "No, I'll do it, I want to somehow repay you for everything you've done for me, that's a promise of a lifetime!" he said, a determined look on his face, Sakura looked at him and shook her head at his unpredictability,

"Silly Naruto, the things someone does for their friend doesn't have a payment, if they're a true friend they don't do it because they want something in return, they do it because they want their friend to be happy and that's the only reward they would ever want from them" she said and Naruto looked at her with an unreadable expression "see you tomorrow Naruto, Goodnight!" Sakura smiled, waved him goodbye and walked away while he stood there, staring at her retreating figure until she turned the corner; unknowingly his feet got him back to his apartment and he lay down on his bed without changing, pulling the covers over him he then smiled, "Goodnight Sakura-Chan…" he whispered and closed his eyes, letting sleep take over.

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Naruto had earned the money given by Iruka in return for some chores to be done, the scar-face teacher was curious and asked why he needed the money so badly, Naruto explained to him about Sakura; when the man heard the story he smiled, happy that the blond had finally found a friend his age.

Naruto paid his dept for the ramen and Sakura was shocked when he worked to repay her, she wanted to scold him but she couldn't, seeing his proud face so she just smiled and thanked him.

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A year had passed since that day and the two children met each other everyday at their meeting spot at the playground, spending time together from dawn till dusk. Sakura had participated many times in the pranks Naruto usually played, finding it fun; some of the mastermind ones were hers! Iruka sighed in annoyance when he had to deal with another prankster other than Naruto but he had never seen the blonde so happy, the hollow loneliness in his bright blue eyes had vanished completely, making the man happy not only for that but because Sakura had taught Naruto how to properly take care of himself and his possessions… even if the blond was too lazy to do so. The two spent everyday, most of the day and did many things together.

They were inseparable.

**Disclaimer: How was it? Next up is chapter two: Enter Sasuke!**


	2. Chapter 2:Enter Sasuke!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Sorry about the italics and the bold letters that are glued together, I'm sort of not used to how things work here yet so… yeah. Anyway I hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 2: enter Sasuke!**

The day had come; they had finally joined the academy!

It had been two months since they joined.

Naruto and Sakura looked at the large building and saw many kids in the schoolyard, "wow we're finally training to become awesome ninja!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air, the girl nodded happily but then spotted a platinum blonde with short hair, waving at her and she waved back, "Ino!" she cheered, running towards the girl and they hugged; Ino was the girl who had boosted Sakura's confidence when they were a bit younger and was Sakura's first friend since the incident with the bullies "how are you?" she asked, ignoring Naruto who ran after her and stood behind her asking who the girl was, "I'm great! I've heard that _**someone**_ yet again, played a prank on one of the vendors" Ino replied, eyeing the pink haired girl with an accusing stare; Sakura chuckled nervously, "yeah, I wonder who that could be… so any news?" Sakura changed the subject and the blonde nodded and grinned, "Yeah! I've heard the girls' gossip of a new student lately! They say he's very cute!" Naruto watched as Sakura and her friend gossiped about this boy; Ino said that he was from the famous Uchiha clan and so on; Sakura rolled her eyes, "yeah sure, he sounds like a mister-know-it-all, I bet he's not all that great!" Sakura said, huffing.

But paused when her eyes landed on a person not too far away; thick black spiky hair, skin as pale and perfect as porcelain and those eyes… pure onyx shimmered like pools of ink.

Naruto and Ino looked at the direction Sakura was staring at and Ino got a love sick expression, Naruto grimaced at what the girls were swooning over, they were staring at a boy who was reading a book, the symbol on his back similar of a red and white fan.

So? Big deal.

"Is that?" Sakura asked and Ino nodded, "the Uchiha boy…" Ino gasped, "Whoa…." Sakura mumbled, "So, what's so great about him?" Naruto said but the girls ignored him, "I think I'll go talk to him" Sakura said and walked towards the boy, "ha! Good luck, I've also heard he didn't talk much and didn't like being around girls who ask him out like that" Ino stated and Sakura sighed, not knowing that Naruto scrunched up his nose at the words 'ask him out'

"No Ino, I'm not going to ask him out! I'm just going to talk to him!" Sakura said, walking over to the boy, Naruto went to follow but Ino grabbed his arm, "ah-ah-ah! Let's see if Sakura has a chance to even speak to the Uchiha, she'll tell us later come on!" Ino said and dragged him along, "What?" Naruto yelled as he got dragged away.

Sakura walked over to the raven haired boy, "um… hello" said the girl, the boy glanced up and his face scrunched up in distaste, great… another fan-girl.

Father and big brother said that he should stay away from them because they said that girls can turn dangerous if provoked.

"Hi…" he mumbled, trying to be nice even if his annoyance clearly showed, his mother had told him to be polite to everyone, "What's your name?" she asked, the boy didn't answer for a few minutes, Sakura waited patiently but soon getting a bit irritated as the seconds ticked by while he said nothing, finally he answered, "Sasuke Uchiha" he answered, Sakura smiled, "Hello Sasuke-san, I'm Sakura Haruno! Nice to meet you!" the girl grinned and stuck out a hand for him to shake, the boy was surprised that she wasn't giggling like an idiot when close to him, she was slightly different…

He took her hand and shook it, "yeah, nice to meet you too…" he nodded, smiling slightly at the girl. His parents always told him that first impressions are very important; he noticed a small blush on the girl's cheeks as they shook hands and let go, "um… why are you all alone here? Don't you want to play with the other kids?" she asked, gesturing to the boys playing ball not too far away, the boy closed his book and got up, "I have no time to play games, I need to get stronger and smarter if I'm going to surpass my brother!" he said and Sakura pouted.

"But when you grow up and become a strong ninja, you won't have much time to enjoy the time you have as a kid anymore, Iruka-sensei told me that, he also said that you should enjoy life as it is while you still can, I'm not sure about what he really means… but I think he means kids should play; it's healthy for a Childs development he says" she took Iruka's pose as she said that, mocking the man. Sasuke pondered for a second, thinking on what she said, "So do you want to play with me and my friends? Just for one day and if you don't like it I won't bother you again about it" Sakura asked, the boy thought about it, smiled and nodded, "ok, but just for a day." He said and followed the pink haired girl, "Hey! Ino! Naruto! Sasuke wants to play with us!" she yelled at the friends as they arrived, the blonde girl practically had hearts in her eyes, "really? That's great!" she said but Naruto crossed his arms and said nothing, "cool, you wanna play tag?" Sakura asked, "Yeah!" the blonde girl chirped and the blond boy nodded "ok! Wait, does he have to play too?" Naruto rudely imputed and Sakura frowned, "yes he will" leaving no room for argument, she then grinned and poked Sasuke's nose, "you're it!" she yelled and the children scattered as he tried to catch one of them.

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"Wow… that was so much fun!" Sasuke breathed as they all gasped for air, "yeah! Ha-ha! That was so cool, right Sakura-Chan?" Naruto laughed as the girl nodded, "Yeah! Hey Ino what do you think?" Sakura said, "I think it was really fun!" she giggled, "See Sasuke? I told you it was fun!" the pink haired girl bragged and giggled, "We should do this again some time, maybe tomorrow Sakura" the Uchiha muttered as the bell rang, starting class; the kids got up, "thank you" he said, making Naruto scowl at the blush blooming across Sakura's cheeks, "you're welcome Sasuke-kun!" she giggled and Naruto huffed as an unknown feeling blossomed in his chest.

She never called him with a 'kun' at the end of his name! So why did she call the Uchiha boy like that!

"Hey! What about me?" Ino pouted, the raven haired boy looked at her too, "yeah, you too" he smiled and the blonde girl squealed in delight as Sasuke started walking away to class but the three stayed behind, "isn't he dreamy?" Ino swooned, "yeah, he's pretty nice, isn't he Naruto?" Sakura sighed dreamily as she turned to him, "I don't see anything so great about him! He's just another boy! Why are you so hyped up about him?" Naruto grumbled causing Sakura to furrow her brows in confusion…

Why is he mad?

"Come on it's time to go to class!" Ino ran and the two followed.

A week later the kids gathered more friends that accepted Naruto and didn't taunt Sakura for her abnormally huge forehead, they went by the names Shikamaru, Choji and Kiba; they played and laughed, Sasuke was happy he had friends by his side and Naruto was practically leaping in joy but kept Sakura his closest friend, he was very annoyed with Sasuke and they fought often so they nicknamed each other.

Sasuke was the 'teme' and Naruto was the 'dobe'.

They had even met Sasuke's brother once, considering Sasuke had been ranting about his friends for days at his brother but met the genin for a very short period, like about a minute before he had to go on some mission.

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A year had passed.

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One afternoon after school, Sasuke was gathering his books to get ready but Sakura had walked over to him, "Hello Sasuke-kun!" she chirped and the boy nodded in return with a smile on his face, "Naruto and I are going to get ice cream, you want to come?" she asked and the boy thought for a moment, "well, a few minutes late wouldn't hurt" he said and followed the girl outside, seeing the blonde waiting for them, the two scowled at each other, "Teme!" Naruto mumbled as they walked side by side, "Dobe!" was Sasuke's answer, "guys, when will you ever stop fighting? Can't you get along?" Sakura sighed, the boys glared at each other.

"Me?" hissed Sasuke,

"Get along with him?" Naruto growled,

"Never!" the two boys chorused and Sakura sweat dropped as she watched them growl at each other like rabid dogs; Naruto's and Sasuke's platonic relationship wasn't the best, to say the least they disliked each other, they only tolerated one another and not get into a brawl because of their friend, Sakura.

They finally reached the ice cream stand, "hello children, what would you like?" asked the cheery man who was selling the goods, "chocolate ice cream!" chirped Sakura, "vanilla" said Sasuke and the man gave them the ice cream cones as they each paid their own; that left Naruto, "Cherry!" the boy shouted happily but as the vendor spotted the boy his cheerful façade melted into a glare, "we're closed demon brat!" the man hissed as he slammed the stand shut.

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There was a moment of silence as Naruto looked down while that oh so familiar pain climbed its way back in his chest…

Sasuke was shocked for one thing; he had never seen someone refuse to give ice cream to a kid, why did that man refuse the Dobe? The boy was confused and looked at Sakura, silently asking for an explanation.

The pink haired girl looked down at her untouched ice cream, even after all this time she still didn't know why everyone shunned Naruto… she looked at her blonde friend, her heart aching when she saw him looking like he was about to cry.

Sakura looked at Sasuke and the boy nodded; a silent agreement passing between them.

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Naruto looked up in surprise when he saw something in his peripheral vision, he looked at his friend and rival to see them handing out their ice cream to him. Sakura smiled, "here Naruto, don't pay attention to that mean person, you can have mine" she said, "yeah, here Dobe… just to prove that vanilla is better than cherry" said Sasuke as he handed his own to the blond.

It was at that moment Naruto had never felt more grateful to have these two beside him, unshed tears brimmed his eyes as he grinned from ear to ear but he didn't take the ice creams, "thank you Sakura-Chan…" he whispered with a huge grin on his face, "…thanks teme…" he said and the Uchiha nodded back.

"…But I wasn't that hungry for ice cream anyway" Naruto finished, the pink and black haired kids looked at each other and dropped their sweets on the ground, "come to think of it, neither were we, I lost my appetite" Said Sakura, "I don't like sweets anyway" mumbled Sasuke as he shoved his hands in his pockets; Naruto couldn't hold it in anymore, the tears escaped and streamed down his face.

The eight year old blonde didn't sob, he just looked at his friends and smiled softly; the three children didn't say anything for a few minutes...

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Finally Sakura spoke, "come on, let's go and get some ramen, what do you say?" she asked the boys, they both nodded, Sakura took Naruto's hand for comfort, he smiled and squeezed her hand back, he looked to his left to see Sasuke place a hand on his shoulder, the Uchiha boy smirked "so I was right, you really are a crybaby" Sasuke taunted as Naruto quickly wiped his tears away and scowled at him, "I'm not a crybaby! I'll be Hokage one day and kick your butt!" he yelled and pointed at Sasuke, "sure you will" the Uchiha and Uzumaki argued yet again, causing the girl to roll her eyes but smile, she knew those two had already made it one step closer to becoming friends.

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They went and ate at the ramen shop, chatting away at random things, even ending up having a ramen eating contest between the three, Naruto won of course.

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It was already dark before they knew it.

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"Oh no! I'm late! I need to go home and study!" Sasuke said, as he hastily picked up his heavy school bag filled with weapons and scrolls and slung it over his shoulder, "ok, Sasuke-kun! Goodnight!" Sakura smiled and waved, "yeah teme, see ya tomorrow so I can kick your butt next time in training!" Naruto shouted while grinning, "In your dreams Dobe! Goodnight Sakura!" Sasuke yelled back as he ran away towards home.

"Hey Sakura-Chan shouldn't you go home too? I mean, your parents must be worried" Naruto stated; the girl paused, looking at her hands placed on the counter "uh… yeah! You're right, I should go home, yeah… w-we'll meet with Sasuke-kun at our original meeting spot, goodnight Naruto!" the girl tripped over her words as she picked up her school bag and rushed out of the ramen shop, "goodnight Sakura-Chan…" he said as the girl left a confused blonde behind.

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Sasuke never came after that day… or the next.

"What happened to him?" Sakura asked Naruto worryingly as they sat at their place in the classroom, the teacher wasn't present yet and the class was strangely silent, a few whispers here and there "I don't know, maybe he's sick?" he guessed, "maybe" the girl sighed, "Hey forehead girl!" a voice shouted from behind, Sakura looked behind her to see Ino, the girl had grown out her blonde hair and wore a purple outfit with bandages around her arms, legs and waist.

"What is it Ino-pig!" Sakura shot back.

The two girls had become rivals for Sasuke's affections ever since they met the boy even if Sakura didn't show it as much as Ino, Sakura never told Sasuke or ever asked him out because she was afraid it would ruin their friendship. Ino and Sakura's relationship was very similar to Naruto and Sasuke's, the only difference besides who's stronger and better looking is that the girls fight over Sasuke. Even so, Sakura didn't exactly consider herself a fan-girl like the rest who obviously were, she just liked him, not overly obsessed with him but Ino gets on her nerves easily and they often fought over him.

When Naruto found out about her crush he was furious, shooting dirty looks the whole day at the onyx haired boy and even more often picking fights with him than before and losing constantly to him wasn't helping his temper, _'what does she see in him anyway? I'm way better than him!'_ the blonde often thought and even confronted the girl once about it,

"_**Why do you like teme?" he had asked, the girl was taken aback at the sudden question but answered anyway, "Because well… he's cute, strong, smart and nice" she sighed somewhat dreamily, blushed beet red when she told Naruto, not noticing the boy's scowl, "so? I'm strong and nice and cute!" he pouted, Sakura was confused for a moment but then it hit her… **_

"_**Naruto, are you… jealous of Sasuke-kun?" she asked "No! Pf! Why should I be jealous of him?" he replied a little too quickly, crossing his arms and turned away from the girl, leaving her confused.**_

But they hadn't talked about that since then.

Ino's usually cocky and cheerful façade wasn't present as she walked over to the two, her expression slightly troubling. "What's wrong pig? You don't seem like yourself…" Sakura said, frowning "Sakura, Naruto I have something to tell you…" Ino lowered her tone as the two listened, knowing if Ino was whispering it was very important.

But just as the pretty blonde was about to open her mouth, another student walked in...

It was Sasuke.

Sakura smiled brightly seeing the boy "Sasuke-kun!" the girl waved but her smile faltered as Sasuke paused in his steps for a second but didn't answer, he then just went and sat on the far side of the classroom and away from them; they couldn't see his expression because he didn't even spare a glance at them "What's his problem?" Naruto grumbled, annoyed by the Uchiha's rude behavior but Sakura was troubled, something wasn't right...

Ino looked at the duo, "guys, come with me…" she said as she led the two out of the classroom, "Ino… what's wrong with Sasuke?" Sakura asked seriously and Naruto agreed, "Yeah, what's with teme?" he asked, the blonde girl sighed through her nose and began…

"The night before… when Sasuke was going home… he found…" the girl paused, sadness laced her voice and this time Sakura was getting irritated, "Ino! What happened?" Sakura shouted, now worry eating away at her but Ino remained silent as if thinking, now it was Naruto's turn to get annoyed, "Spit it out!" he growled and the girl looked at them with a hard expression, the words that left her mouth sent a cold chill and an electric shock course down their spine at the same time…

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"_The Entire Uchiha Clan Was murdered… besides Sasuke-kun."_

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The words echoed in their heads as they stood stock still, their faces took on the look of shock, "h-how… w-who…?" Naruto managed to stutter and Ino sighed, "I-I don't know… but I also heard that his brother went missing" the girl informed as they slowly walked back into the classroom but before Ino left to her seat she took hold of Sakura's shoulder before she could go to Sasuke, "Sakura, I suggest that you leave him alone for a bit, if my clan were massacred just a few days ago I would seriously go into shock, I'm really surprised that he even managed to come back to the academy so quickly, even I will leave him alone for now" she advised but Sakura gave her a hard stare, "no Ino, it's this time that he needs his friends the most." Sakura whispered harshly but Naruto said nothing, just stared at Sasuke with no expression; the blond boy was the first to walk over to Sasuke with Sakura following behind, the two sat on either side of the Uchiha; the raven haired boy glanced once at each of them, his once filled with life eyes were now as hollow as the deep abyss; Naruto and Sakura didn't spare a glance at him, they didn't touch him or said any comforting words to him, they just sat beside him; even the loudmouth Naruto didn't utter a word, somehow both of them knowing that words weren't what this situation asked for.

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Sasuke sat there, confused and annoyed that the two were sitting beside him not saying anything, his brother's words echoed through his mind as he glared at the table; why were they sitting beside him? Everyone else was either ignoring him or giving him looks of sympathy and he hated it, he hated the pity in their eyes, he hated them, he hated everyone!

But why were they beside him?

The Dobe should be rubbing it in or yelling at him for whatever but he wasn't saying anything for once, they hate each other, he hates the Dobe and the Dobe hates him and that is the way things should stay between them.

Sakura… the only girl he could somewhat consider a friend, she wasn't giving him pity or tried to comfort him but she still kept him company… Somehow deep down he knew that's just what he needed at the moment… but he didn't want this… he didn't want their comfort, they'll never understand! They'll never know what it's like to loose something precious to you!

He clenched his fists under the fabric of his pockets and his face twisted in a glare as the teacher came in and started babbling about things that Sasuke didn't pay attention at the moment.

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Sasuke hadn't uttered a word the whole day and Sakura was getting worried, he had been silently pushing them away and it didn't go unnoticed by them, "Naruto… what do we do?" Sakura whispered as she looked at Sasuke eating his lunch alone in the corner and away from them but Naruto glared at the Uchiha.

Earlier during training Naruto and Sasuke were chosen to fight against each other, Sasuke was being harsher than he should be and had actually wounded Naruto purposely; when Sasuke beat Naruto to top it off, he called him weak and just walked away even if he was scolded by the teacher in being too harsh; it was then that Naruto started hating Sasuke.

"I say we leave the jerk, he deserves to be alone!" Naruto yelled a little too loud on purpose for Sasuke to hear, the Uchiha didn't even blink as he kept silently eating his lunch; Sakura in return smacked Naruto on the head, "OW! Sakura-Chan that hurt!" Naruto whined but Sakura only glared, "Naruto! Sasuke-kun needs our support, we can't leave him alone!" she yelled but Naruto this time shot some words back, "Why are you so hyped up about him? He clearly wants to be alone so why not let him?" he surprisingly yelled back and Sakura growled "Because he's my friend! I care about him just like I care about you!" the girl shouted and the blonde boy looked beside him, glaring at the ground; knowing that wasn't the only reason.

"Naruto he lost his family and you know better than anyone how it feels to be alone" she whispered, noticing him clench his fists "he's angry and he took out his anger in your fight, I'm sure he didn't really mean to hurt you that much…" the girl trailed off, she placed her hands on the boy's shoulders making him look at her, Naruto sighed, "alright Sakura-Chan…" he said, the girl smiled "thanks Naruto."

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It was already the end of the school day and the kids were all going home, "see ya tomorrow Sakura-Chan!" yelled Naruto as he walked away, the girl waved back and went to go home herself when she caught sight of Sasuke; she saw him slowly walking home.

It was the perfect time to talk to him, so she decided to follow him.

Storm clouds were quickly gathering and before anyone knew it, it already started drizzling.

Sakura silently followed Sasuke in the now pouring rain; she was shocked to see him stop in front of the Uchiha clan gates; he dropped his things and slowly walked inside, she followed, uneasy that the walls were all saturated with dry blood.

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Finally the boy walked inside a rather large house, he took off his shoes and slowly walked in the rooms…

Soon after she did the same and continued following, she poked her head around the corner to see him standing still, staring at the floor but she froze in her tracks when she heard his cold murmur, "why did you follow me all the way here?" he said, not turning around, his icy tone made her almost wince.

"Because I'm worried about you-"

"Leave"

He cut her words short, "I don't need your pity, now go away and leave me alone" he ordered but she hesitated for a second but decided to stand her ground.

"No" was her only reply.

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Sasuke's emotionless façade he had been working on these past few days shattered quickly with her dry reply; who did she think she was? Invading his home and refusing to leave when all he wanted was to be alone!

He clenched his fists and his features took on a look of fury as he abruptly turned around, facing her, "Leave damn it! I don't want you here! I want to be alone! Go away or I'll make you!" he yelled at the top of his lungs as he quickly walked over to her and stopped an inch away from her, onyx glaring into emerald eyes. Sasuke scared her for a second but her fear quickly faded when she stared more than a few moments into his eyes, all the negative emotions he was feeling were visible; pain, anger, hate, sadness but the emotion that ruled over was loneliness…

Sakura cringed but managed to stand tall, her caring for the boy ruling the fear ten times over, "No, because I know that being alone in this world is the last thing you want Sasuke!" she yelled back and the boy took a step back, shocked for a second but was quickly replaced with anger again, "how the heck would you know? You know nothing about me!" he shouted, fury bursting in his chest like a volcano but Sakura calmed herself down before the fight got worse. "Sasuke, I know that the pain you feel is unbearable, I may not know how much but what I do know is that you're not alone Sasuke, Naruto and I are here for you, your friends are here!" she raised her voice slightly and the boy turned around again to face the white lined, taped floor saturated in dry blood, where his parents lay dead just days ago, "I don't need friends!" he growled.

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But inside he was relieved…

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Relieved that someone still cared…

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But he didn't show it, or at least he thought he didn't.

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His fists clenched and his heart hurt, "Sasuke… I think friends are the one thing you need at the moment." She whispered and placed a hand on his shoulder, "How would you know? You have everything! Friends and Family! You lost nothing and nobody!" he breathed out as his being shook, the harshness in his voice cracked.

The girl didn't reply and the room was silent, only the sound of the rain droplets hitting the windows was heard for a few minutes.

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"…That doesn't mean I haven't felt any pain" she finally whispered, "now I want you to do something for me…" the pink haired girl continued, "only if you leave me alone after that!" he glared but she could see his black eyes shimmer and it wasn't from the little light they had. "Fine" she said and looked at the boy with dead seriousness.

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"_I Want You To Cry…"_

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Sasuke's eyes widened, "what?" he breathed, not sure if he heard right and tensed when arms wrapped around his torso in an embrace, "cry" she repeated and hugged him tighter.

The boy didn't know what to say, did she just ask him to cry?

"Uchihas don't cry…" the boy repeated his father's words in a whisper, flashes of that horrible night that happened a few days ago appearing in his mind.

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"Yes they do, Uchiha is just a name, the people that own that name are human" the girl whispered; Sasuke's eyes started to sting…

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Why was she trying to comfort him when he pushed her away?

Why was she doing this?

The way this girl in front of him thinks… he'll never know.

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But holding his pain inside for as long as he had has taken a toll on him; his knees felt weak and his head heavy, his face felt hot and his eyes now burned…

"Cry…" Sakura whispered, her voice soft as his head lay on her shoulder and her shirt started to dampen, they sank to the ground on their knees as the boy leaned on the girl; soft sniffs and sobs could be heard in the silent room as Sasuke cried…


	3. Chapter 3: Genin

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Now we're back in the beginning! :D **

**Chapter 3: Genin**

"This is stupid…" muttered a raven haired boy as he hung from the rope and glared at his two idiot companions, "I agree, we'll get into trouble but this is the best prank ever, congrats Naruto!" Sakura giggled and the blonde grinned, "why thank you Sakura-Chan for praising my awesome work" he mocked with a British accent to his tone, "I don't know how I got myself into this, why did I listen to you?" the Uchiha grumbled again, "quit whining teme, even **you** got to admit I'm an awesome artist!" Naruto gloated as he added more red paint on the rock, "If you consider painting stupid remarks and designs on the Hokage monuments artistic, then yes, you are number one on moronic art" the Uchiha deadpanned and the blonde fumed, "shut it chicken butt!" he yelled and tossed a bucket of paint on Sasuke, effectively drenching the boy in red.

Sasuke was furious that his hair and clothes were now bright red, he wiped the paint off of his face and growled "that's it Dobe, you're dead!" Sasuke growled and threw some back but Naruto dodged at the last second and it hit Sakura instead, "Hey!" she growled and glared at the two boys; Naruto burst out laughing, "ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" the boy bellowed in laughter but before the girl could open her mouth to give them a piece of her mind, shouts were heard from under them, the three kids looked down to see groups of people gathering below.

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"It's Uzumaki! That little troublemaker!" a man shouted,

"yes and he's manipulated two other kids in joining his tricks!" another yelled, none of the villagers or ninja recognized Sakura or Sasuke with all the red paint covering their clothes and hair,

"Enough with the stupid pranks!"

"We're sick of it! Grow the heck up!"

"You are dead when they catch you! You know that?"

"Look at him! What a disgrace!" the shouts echoed.

"Losers! Wannabes! You don't have what it takes to do something this low! I rule and you drool!" the blonde yelled back and laughed at their faces, "I don't think that was a good idea Naruto-" Sakura started but was interrupted.

"How dare you? Who do you think you are?" yelled a voice, the three looked to see the third Hokage approaching and panicked, "oh crap! It's the Hokage! We've got to get out of here!" Sakura shouted at the boys and they hastily nodded, "Naruto! What do you think you're doing, you idiot? Get down from there and get back to class along with those other two!" another voice yelled, they all looked down to see the scar-faced man.

"It's Iruka-sensei! We're so screwed!" yelled Naruto as the three made a run for it, hastily climbing the ropes and over the monuments but Naruto got tangled, "Uh oh!" he cried but the other two were already out of sight, thinking Naruto was right behind them as they ran off; he struggled and finally managed to get free of the ropes and ran but something grabbed the back of his shirt!

"Where do you think you're going?"

Naruto was sweating all over when he slowly turned around to come face to face with his teacher, "Oh crap!" Naruto cursed and Iruka narrowed his eyebrows, "'oh crap' doesn't even compare to how much trouble you've gotten yourself into Naruto!" he fumed; the boy in his panic kicked the man in the shin, "OW! I'll get you back to class tied up if you don't come back here this instant, NARUTO!" the man hollered after him as the blond ran for it.

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The two finally stopped running after realizing nobody was chasing them, "whew! We lost them!" Sakura gasped, "I will **never** let you convince me into joining your stupid pranks again" the Uchiha boy glowered and the pink (now red) haired girl frowned, "come on! You know you enjoyed it! Right Naruto…? …Naruto?" Sakura looked left and right but didn't spot her friend, "the loser must have lagged behind" scoffed Sasuke, crossing his arms but Sakura gasped, "oh no! He'll get in so much trouble!"

"So? It was his idea and got what he deserved" the now red haired boy stated and the girl gave him a dirty look, "FYI Sasuke-kun, we participated in that prank and it wouldn't be fair for Naruto if he got all the blame" she scorned.

After about a minute of Sakura giving the boy a hard stare Sasuke finally gave up, "fine but let's get this paint off first" he sighed and the girl nodded.

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Naruto sat on the floor in front of the class tied up, "tomorrow all your classmates will pass the final and graduate from the ninja academy, but the last two times this day came around; you've flunked every course you'd taken in the secret arts.

So you choose now for your stupid tricks? You moron!" the teacher yelled at him, the boy averted his gaze and replied with a dry 'sir, yes sir'

Iruka's eye twitched but Naruto's widened when he spotted Sakura and Sasuke outside the window (clean of paint). The girl mouthed an 'I'm sorry' and gestured that they were going to come into class but Naruto shook his head no, not wanting to get his girlfr- *ahem* he meant his friend Sakura-Chan into trouble, even if he would gladly enjoy to drive the stuck up Uchiha up the wall and ruin his reputation.

Sakura was about to enter class as Iruka was telling the other kids to review the art of transformation but Sasuke stopped her by grasping her wrist, the girl looked behind her at him, "you saw the Dobe, he said no, so we're safe for now" he said, "you just don't want to be ridiculed in front of everyone and ruin your name! I don't care if you don't come but I'm going!" she growled but the boy didn't let go, "That, and I think it's better if we tell Iruka-sensei after class when Naruto will surely be fulfilling his punishment, that way we both don't get embarrassed and we each fill our punishment" he reasoned, Sakura thought about it and reconsidered "fine, we'll stay here until class is over" she sighed and they went back to the window to see what was going on; it appeared to be Naruto's turn to transform, he walked up in front of the class, charka surrounding him.

And instead of conjuring a form that looked like Iruka, he changed into something much inappropriate…

Sasuke cringed and covered his and Sakura's eyes with his hands as the girl gasped in shock and offence.

Naruto had turned into a naked woman…

And Iruka almost fainted from a nosebleed.

The boy transformed back and burst out laughing, "Ha-ha-ha-ha! I call that the ninja centerfold!" the boy gloated and laughed at his teacher's face while said man reached for napkins to stop the bleeding.

"Just how big of a fool are you?" his yells echoed through the academy.

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It was the end of the school day and Iruka had roughly grasp the back of Naruto's shirt before he can sneak his way out, pulling him along towards the Hokage monuments as the boy slumped while carrying a bucket filled with water and soap and a sponge; the look on the blonde's face that of what a five year old would look like when his mother would yell at him for spilling milk on the counter.

"Iruka-sensei, wait!" a voice yelled, the man paused but never let go of Naruto, they both looked to see Sakura running towards them, pulling Sasuke along too, "Sensei, Naruto wasn't the only one who caused the trouble" Sakura said and Iruka nodded, "yes, there were two others and when we find them they will be punished too" he said but stopped to think for a second, "you wouldn't have had anything to do with that did you?" the man eyed the girl especially, Sakura sighed and Naruto frantically shook his head NO but Sakura didn't acknowledge him "we were the ones who helped Naruto play the trick" she blurted out and the Uchiha boy puffed out a breath as their sensei narrowed his eyes, "hm… I suspected as much from Naruto's best friend, even if she is one of my smartest pupils… but I never expected Uchiha Sasuke, my top student to display such a disrespectful act on our village's heroes" the man accused and Sasuke looked away in embarrassment.

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"Iruka-sensei, please don't be hard on Sasuke-kun… I sort of… forced him to do it by calling him weak and not having what it takes to be an Uchiha and in return he came along to prove it and the prank was my idea… so don't be hard on Naruto either" she quickly said and the two boys looked at her bewildered, for both Naruto and Sasuke knew that wasn't true, yes she did talk Sasuke into it but she didn't force him like she said and the idea was Naruto's!

"Sakura-Chan-!" Naruto started but stopped mid sentence when she gave him a look that said 'shut-up-or-else!' The teacher looked convinced, "very well, then I guess your reputation Sasuke is safe" Iruka told him and Sasuke sighed in relief, looking at Sakura with a grateful look, she smiled in return.

"But you missy, because you had given the mere idea on the absurd act on the monuments and the insult of a classmate only to get him in trouble, your punishment will increase ten fold!" the man scorned; Naruto's and Sasuke's eyes widened and Sakura gasped, "But, but-" she started, "No buts! After you help the boys clean the paint off of the mountainside images you will come back to the academy for your second punishment! And to think you were one of my best students… your parents will be very disappointed in you when I inform them about this, Haruno!" the scar-faced man scowled and the girl lowered her head to look at the ground.

Sasuke and Naruto were shocked, she helped Sasuke to keep the respect of his clan's name and she dug Naruto out of the deep! No way were they going to let her take all the blame!

"No Iruka-sensei! Sakura-" the boys began but were cut off by Iruka, "Don't try to pry her out of this because she's your friend boys! Now get going and not another word!" he ordered and shoved some extra buckets and sponges into Sakura's and Sasuke's arms.

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"Sakura-Chan why did you do that?" yelled the blonde boy as they scrubbed the paint off of the stone, the girl looked up to see them stop cleaning, "yes, taking all the blame was stupid!" Sasuke glared, Naruto's expression mirrored his and Sakura got annoyed "I did it because I wanted to alright?" she yelled back and scrubbed harder out of irritation, "are you kidding me? You'll get an extra punishment because of us and to top it off your folks will kill you when you get home!" Naruto yelled again, "So why would you care? All the better for you that you got out of this mess!" she shouted, "the better for us? Didn't you stop to think of how bad we feel right now?" Sasuke scowled at her; the girl paused and finally looked at them, she got a better look and indeed Sasuke was right…

…She saw the guilt written all over their faces.

"Damn it! I should have never come up with this stupid prank! It's all my fault!" Naruto yelled and threw the wet sponge at the wall in frustration, the platform holding him up wobbled slightly, "No its not, I decided to save your butts so it's my fault I got myself into this mess! The least you could do for me is be grateful!" she shouted, finally had cleaned off the rest of the paint in her section after hours of hand torturing scrubbing and sat on her platform, the two boys remained silent; Naruto gritted his teeth and Sasuke clenched his fists.

"Sakura…"

The three looked up to see Iruka sitting on top of the first Hokage's head, "I overheard your little conversation, is this true?" the man asked and before the girl could reply Naruto cut in, "Yeah it is! Sakura-Chan lied to save our butts! Don't punish her, the prank was my idea!" he yelled, Sasuke nodded "And I came willingly, she didn't insult me or force me like she told you." He said and Sakura face-palmed.

The man looked at the girl, "is this true Sakura?" he pointed the question at her, the pinkette sighed at the intense stares she was given by her stupid comrades and nodded, "yes sir…" she answered; the man smiled, _'heh… Naruto sure is lucky to have a friend like her…' _ the man thought and glanced at the Uchiha boy, _'…Sasuke too'. _

Iruka stood and crossed his arms, "very well then, Haruno… to top all of this off you lied to help slip out your partners in crime…" he stated, regaining his strict look; Naruto and Sasuke glared at the teacher, "if you add one more punishment to Sakura-Chan Iruka-sensei, I swear I'll-" the blonde started but was silenced, "…and because of this your extra punishments will be cancelled…" the man finished and smiled and the three gasped in surprise, "…in return I'll treat you all to ramen!" he added and a grin split Sakura's face, "really?" she asked hopefully, "yes" was his answer, "All right! You're the best Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cheered and punched the air while Sasuke smiled slightly, both boys relieved that their friend was off the hook.

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The four sat at the ramen shop and chatted away as they ate; Naruto had received a punch in the face by Sakura for the disgusting act he did at class and was yelled at by the girl herself.

Sasuke didn't talk much and Naruto continuously babbled at Iruka on how he'll become one day the Hokage while Sakura just ate, listening to them chat.

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The next day was the day they would pass the last test to finally become Genin.

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For their final exam they had to generate a doppelganger.

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Everyone had passed.

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Except Naruto…

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"_You Fail!"_ Iruka's words echoed in his mind as Naruto sat on the swing and watched as other kids gloated on at their parents on how they passed and became Genin…

His chest hurt…

"Great job son, your old man is proud!"

"So now, we're all adults!"

"Congratulations graduate! Tonight mom's going to cook up a feast!"

He watched as the parents praised and congratulated their kids…

"Hey, isn't he the kid who-?" he heard a voice not too far away, "yeah that's him, the only one who failed!" sneered another voice and he glanced to see two girls gossiping about him, "serves him right…"

"Can you imagine if they let someone like that become a Shinobi…? I mean, think about what he is…" started the girl but the other cut in, "Don't even go there… let's go, it's not worth it to even **talk** about him" she finished and they walked away; Naruto shifted his goggles over his eyes, feeling them burn from the words.

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"Naruto…" he heard his name being called by a familiar beautiful voice… even without looking up he knew it was Sakura, he heard her stop in front of him but the boy didn't look up, "hello Sakura-Chan…" he whispered, his voice giving away a barely audible crack in it as he felt a hand being placed on his shoulder, he was glad that the goggles and his hands covered his eyes to stop the rest of his face from getting wet… "I'm sorry…" she whispered, the two remaining silent for a few minutes.

Naruto finally got off the swing but never faced the girl; "I need to be alone for a bit Sakura-Chan…" he murmured, "Ok…" she whispered and watched as he walked away from her.

'_I only wish there was something I could do…' _she thought.

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Sakura yawned, waking up from her dreamless sleep; she got out of bed, the cold air making her skin prickle slightly, "ah today's finally the day! My first day as a full fledged ninja!" she lightly smiled and got dressed out of her black night gown into her ninja attire; a black, skin tight sleeveless shirt with a loose red t-shirt with a V-neck on the outside that ended just over her belly button (showing her black undershirt) the white Haruno symbol on the back, slightly tight, dark blue ninja pants (that looked a lot like jeans) and her ninja sandals; she brushed her pink, slightly short hair, humming a tune and when she was done she put on the finishing touch, her Hitai-ate forehead protector.

She took a pose and winked at her reflection but frowned, seeing her large forehead… she lightly pushed forward some short bangs in front of it face and nodded, satisfied.

"SAKURA HONEY, TIME FOR YOU TO GO!" a shrill voice yelled from downstairs and a vein popped on Sakura's forehead, "I'm coming damn it!" she yelled back, picking up the things she needed and rushed downstairs, she looked to see a 30 year old woman washing the dishes in the kitchen, "Have a good time sweetie!" the woman smiled and Sakura grimaced.

"We're not in public!" she growled and the brown haired woman dropped her smile, "now, now is that any way to talk to your mother?" she asked and Sakura rolled her eyes at the green eyed woman.

"You and I both know you're NOT my mother, Sayuri, you're my guardian and that's that!" the girl drawled and the woman frowned, "hey, I adopted you so at least show some gratitude huh? Quit acting like a brat!" Sayuri glared and Sakura sighed, "Fine, but never call yourself my mother when we're not in public again, ok?" she said and walked out the door with an apple in hand.

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She met Ino on the way and they raced towards the academy, when they reached their class the girl looked around and spotted spiky hair.

"Naruto?" she looked to see the boy arguing with a classmate, "Naruto!" she ran towards the boy and he looked to see the pink haired girl run to him and grinned.

"Good morning Sakura-Chan!" he smiled and blushed when she approached, she then noticed his headband, "Naruto you passed! What happened? How did you do it?" she asked, happy that he passed the test; Naruto paused, the blush disappearing, he had to think quickly!

"Uh… I kept nagging at Iruka-sensei to give me another chance and I passed the second time!" he lied; Sakura bought it, "That's great Naruto! I'm proud!" she smiled brightly and the boy's face felt hot again, "he-he, thanks!" he grinned and the girl spotted a certain raven haired boy behind the blonde, her smile brightened even more if possible, Naruto looked behind him to see the boy and he scowled, _'humph! The class heart throb! Stupid teme!' _ He thought menacingly, Sasuke glanced beside him to see Naruto melt iron into the glare he was giving him, "you want something?" Sasuke asked, boredom laced in his voice, the blonde fumed, "what's that supposed to mean? Are you talking to me?" Naruto yelled and to end the fight before it even started Sakura hopped on Naruto's desk and jumped in the seat between the two boys.

"Good morning Sasuke-kun! Is this seat taken?" she asked a rhetorical question of course, in which the Uchiha grunted in acknowledgment but said nothing else and looked in front of him again, the girl blushed and Naruto seethed when she scooted closer to Sasuke, _'jeez… Sakura-Chan looks like she's in total ecstasy!' _ The blonde boy thought, '_**What **__ is so great about teme? I just don't get it!'_

Naruto wasn't able to take it anymore with Sakura making goo-goo eyes at the Uchiha and in anger got on the desk in front of him and glared hard into his eyes; the onyx eyed boy glared right back, you could practically see the electric bolt flaring from the intensity of the glares! The staring contest was a challenge of dominance to see who is superior; Sakura was way confused as to why they were doing that, "uh… Naruto, what are you doing?" she asked but the boys answered didn't answer, if looks could kill they would both be nothing but ash…

Unfortunately for all of them, a fellow classmate in the front seat leaned back and bumped into Naruto who fell forward, in which lead to catastrophic consequences…

"Oh sorry!" the boy said as he turned around but paused when he saw the scene before him…

Sakura stood frozen at what unwrapped before her…

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When Naruto fell forward he and Sasuke had accidentally lip locked.

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Everybody's eyes widened, including Naruto's and Sasuke's…

They quickly backed away from each other, hacking and gagging in disgust, "Naruto you piece of crap! You are dead!" Sasuke yelled as he gagged, wanting to throw up.

"My mouth is ruined!" Naruto hacked and spit, his stomach lurching but paled as he somehow felt bloodlust being aimed towards him, he turned to see Sakura with a very displeased look on her face, "It was an accident! I swear!" he tried to explain as sweat ran down his forehead like waterfalls, "Naruto…" she hissed, cracking her knuckles; she knew Naruto did many stupid things but she never expected him to do something like **this!**

"That was sick!" she growled and the unfortunate boy sweated ten times over, "w-why are you…?" but he never got to finish his sentence…

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Poor Naruto lay beaten up on the table as the teacher explained about how they are now full fledged ninja and other things while Sakura slumped in her chair with crossed arms, not able to get that scene out of her head, she shuddered in disgust, _'I really do hope that was an accident…'_ she thought and side glanced at the two boys beside her, she looked from the beat up blonde to her crush.

"…We will begin by dividing you into three-man cells. Each of which will be mentored by a Jonin, a more senior ninja who will guide you and coach you as you become familiar with your various assignments." Said Iruka,

'_Three man cells? The only person I can tolerate is Sakura… sounds like one too many'_ Sasuke thought, not moving from his position with his fingers intertwined under his chin, _'It's perfect! I hope they'll team me up with Sasuke-kun! Naruto in the team doesn't sound so bad either!'_ Sakura thought and took a determined pose, _'So long as I'm partnered with Sakura-Chan I'll take anybody else… except Sasuke-teme!'_ Naruto thought as he placed a hand under his chin as the teacher announced the names in each cell.

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"… Next, cell number seven. Uzumaki Naruto…" the blonde looked up, _'please be with Sakura-Chan, please be with Sakura-Chan…'_ he chanted in his head, "Haruno Sakura…" Naruto stood up and took a victory pose, "Yeah! Woo-hoo!" he cheered and Sakura grinned giving him a high five.

"…and Uchiha Sasuke." Now it was Sakura's turn to get up and cheer, Naruto sat down and sulked; Sasuke looked up and sighed through his nose in annoyance… great… he has the Dobe in his team…

"Iruka-sensei! What were you thinking of saddling a most excellent Shinobi like myself, with a loser!" Naruto yelled as he pointed at the boy;

Yes… this would be very annoying…

Iruka scolded and explained to Naruto why they were teamed up.

When he finished Sasuke glared, "just don't drag me down, Dobe!" he said and Naruto sizzled, "What did you call me teme?" he yelled, "Just knock it off!" Sakura yelled at both boys.

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Naruto fumed as he ate his lunch, _'Sasuke is such a jerk!'_ he growled but his anger faded and got replaced by defeat, _'Sakura-Chan…'_ he sighed in sadness… he tried to think of an upside of the situation… and it came to him like a light bulb flickering on…

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Sakura sat on the bench and ate her lunch. Somehow her mind wandered and came from **that** scene, to herself, to a normal couple… to her crush… _'Darn… never mind Sasuke-kun, how can I attract __**any**__ boy when I'm not even in the line of attractive? The only thing that's oversized is my stupid forehead!'_ She thought but shook her head, _'Damn it! How can I think of such things as love and that crap? I'm a ninja for crying out loud! I have no time for-'_ her thoughts were cut short when she spotted her raven haired friend, she stopped eating.

Sasuke was leaning against the tree, looking at her with a look she had never seen on him before, "Sasuke-kun?" she asked as he slowly walked towards her.

"You have such a noble brow. So charming I could kiss it!" Sasuke smiled warmly at her and she practically melted into his gaze, "that's what it's there for…" she smiled back as they leaned in for a kiss…

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Sakura shook her head in distaste, _'where did that image come from? And what in the world did I just think of?'_ she thought and blushed beet red…

'_**You know you want it…'**_ a voice hissed; Sakura was startled and looked around in alarm, _'what was that?'_ she thought but again her thoughts were interrupted, "you have such a beautiful forehead, so charming I could kiss it!" she looked up to see Sasuke look at her with warm eyes, the girl blushed…

"That's probably what Naruto would say." He then added, sitting down next to her, they remained silent for a moment, "Sakura, I have to know…" the Uchiha boy said after a few minutes, "Yes?" she asked, "what do you think of Naruto?" he asked and the girl looked in question, "well… he's a great friend, he's fun, a great prankster, nice, a caring person, strong willed..." Sakura mentioned all the good things about him which made the boy smile softly, "then why do you like t- I mean me?" Sasuke frowned and the girl blushed, "I like you because… because… I don't know… I just do… you're smart, strong and a good person, even if you don't show it often" she smiled.

"I like Naruto, but as a friend." She finished and the boy sighed, "Why do you like Naruto when nobody else does? Even as a friend?" Sasuke asked and Sakura smiled, "because he's Naruto…" she whispered.

Unconsciously the two leaned closer to one another, "Uh... what else did you want to… talk… about…" she closed her eyes, "…Sasuke-kun…?" she whispered, their faces were now inches apart; Their faces felt hot as they leaned closer… _'Sakura-Chan… I…'_

Just a cm apart but before their lips could touch the feeling of Sasuke's stomach churning stopped the Uchiha from filling the small gap, _'m-my stomach! No, not now!'_ he thought but couldn't hold it much longer, he got up and rushed away, "What's wrong?" he heard Sakura ask, "GOTTA GO!" he yelled back as he ran away, leaving a confused girl behind.

Sakura sat there dumbfounded for a moment but then she replayed the even that just or maybe almost occurred…

She blushed tomato red _'did we… almost kiss?'_

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"Whew! That was a close one! My stomach cramped so badly I almost broke the illusion!" Naruto huffed as he sat on the toilette, _'but not before she told me how she felt…'_ he sighed but just then an idea popped in his mind, _'wait a minute… I could make Sakura-Chan hate teme! Yeah! That could work!'_ He thought and grinned evilly.

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Sakura saw Sasuke walk up to her and she smiled, "Sasuke-kun! Hey-" but was cut off, "Recess is over, where is that jerk Naruto?" he said and Sakura sweat dropped; she really wanted that kiss…

"Uh… can't we get away from Naruto for one second?" she asked, a bit annoyed, "that idiot is going to get it… I hope he gets a beating when he goes home!" Sasuke growled, walking pass the girl and Sakura scoffed, "I wouldn't count on it!" the girl said, Sasuke looked at her in question and stopped in his tracks, looking behind him at the pinkette "what do you mean?" he asked, "let's just say he was badly brought up." She said and crossed her arms; the boy's eyes widened slightly, "you mean he never had any parents?"

Sakura cleared her throat; she somehow knew this conversation would lead somewhere where her family would be involved …and if her family being spoken of would lead to her secret popping up… so she quickly thought up a really selfish remark…

"Yeah and to be honest I sometimes envy him being alone, not having parents having to nag at him all the time! Kids like that are probably lucky" she said; the wind blew in the trees, making a whooshing sound.

Silence dropped on them like a ton of bricks for a moment.

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"No, they aren't and you of all people should know that" he replied coldly, "what?" she asked, inside she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Being scolded by your folks doesn't even compare!" he hissed and glared at her, the girl said nothing…

"Sakura… what you said just… you… make me sick!" he spat, his cold stare made her deeply regret what she said, maybe that remark wasn't such a good back up…

Sakura watched as Sasuke walked away from her.

When he was out of sight she then finally spoke… "Yeah… I even just made myself feel sick with what I said…" she whispered.

…..

**Raven: what's with Sakura's family? And what secret? Find out soon in later chapters! Next chapter: Kakashi Hatake!**

**P.S: if I'm going to continue this story I need at least more than 10 reviews! I need people to tell me their opinions! Good feedback? Bad feedback? I don't care, just review please! **

**If not then I'm going to have to delete my story if nobody bothers to acknowledge it because what's the point of a story existing if nobody's there to read it? Hell… even flames are welcomed!**


	4. Christmas bonus!

**Raven: Hello guys MERRY CHRISTMAS! Since we have this special holiday I decided to add a Christmas special! This basically is a gift to _winged-angel21_ for being an awesome reviewer and you are officially declared my number one fan and you will remain number one even if I do get more reviews in the future! Thanks for supporting my story! So here a Bonus and another chapter for you later! **

**This is before the three friends become Genin; they are the age between 9 and 10. (You can say it was a few months after Chapter 2)**

…..

"_You lift me up when I am falling,_

_You're my friend when I was calling,_

_I'm on top of the world,_

_Top of the whole wide world,_

_Yeah you've always been believing,_

_You give my life a whole new meaning,_

_I'm on top of the world" _

–_Mandy Moore._

…..

Sasuke opened his eyes and stared blankly ahead, he lay there on his bed for a few minutes… nothing but his breathing was heard in the empty house even if his bedroom door was open… dead silence.

He grudgingly got up, the cold floor freezing his feet so he quickly put some socks and some average shoes; he also dressed into some warm clothes, a black, long sleeve turtleneck with black pants, even wrapped a black scarf around his neck to keep warm; he looked at the window to see frost on it, not allowing him to see the outside world, not that he cared anyway…

He walked out of his room and past the dark living room towards the kitchen; he made himself some hot chocolate, sat on the brown leather couch and turned the TV on, flipping the channels but after a few minutes turned it abruptly off.

Every channel had Christmas involving on whatever they were either selling or a movie, he hated that…

He hated the cheerful people… he hated the love and gifts they freely gave to one another, he hated their smiles and happiness!

He used to love Christmas… but now he hated it… it brought too many memories…

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But in all honesty… he envied all those people…

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He sat there in the dark room… no lights turned on, only the faint rays of the sun came shining down on him from the frost covered windows.

He stared down at his hot chocolate…

Sakura and Naruto would be probably spending their time with their family and loved ones right now…

Heh… at least they had **someone** to spend time with…

Tok!

Tok!

Tok!

Someone knocked on the door; he looked at it but didn't make a move to get up… Who would knock on his door?

He wasn't expecting anybody. Maybe someone got lost in finding someone else's house and was going to ask for directions or maybe some salesman who wanted to give him some Christmas crap to earn some money.

Maybe if he ignored it the person would go away…

TOK!

TOK!

TOK!

The person now banged on the door, he growled at the constant banging and finally got up, he was going to beat up the human being behind the door for interrupting his thinking.

He was just at the door when he heard a voice, his hand pausing on the doorknob.

"Sasuke-kun! I know you're in there! Get out here!" she yelled, _'Sakura?'_ he thought and opened the door.

A pink haired girl was standing before him in red ear muffs with a snowman on each side of them, a black jacket with white fur around the hood; her scarf white, checkered with green Christmas trees; tight, thick red pants with white furry snow boots and finally white fingerless gloves.

A bright smile adorned her face, she looked so happy… "Sasuke-kun! Look! It's snowing! Something that hasn't happened in years!" she chirped, pointing behind her; he looked to see it was indeed snowing, an ankle deep blanket covered the entire village… the raven haired boy grunted and the girl's smile faltered at his emotionless gaze, "Sasuke-kun? What's wrong? Why are you wearing all black on Christmas Eve?" she asked but the Uchiha boy didn't answer, looking at her with blank eyes…

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It then hit her like a ton of bricks…

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"Can I come in?" she asked and the boy nodded, stepping aside; she came in and saw the room dark and empty as she took off her boots… the place gave off a depressing atmosphere… a deep frown adorned her face…

'_This is his first Christmas alone… without his family…' _she thought sadly but then her eyebrows furrowed in determination, watching his back as he walked in front of her and lead her to the kitchen, she sat on the kitchen table, deep in thought as he made her some hot chocolate.

'_No! Not alone!' _She clenched her fists and made her decision, she will spend Christmas with him; Sayuri will be going to her cousin's house for a party and Sakura won't be coming along so she was going to spend Christmas alone anyway, she will make him happy if it's the last thing she does!

Sasuke glanced at the girl, she had a pout on her face, her eyes narrowed and her eyebrows furrowed as she clenched her fists, deep in thought; the Uchiha boy poured the hot chocolate into a cup and he placed it in front of her but she didn't respond, so he shoved his hands in his pockets and waited.

After a few seconds she looked up at Sasuke, a smile adorned her features again and got up "Sasuke-kun you know it's not healthy for you to be cooped up in your house all day! Come on! Get dressed and let's go outside!" she grinned and pulled on his arm, "I don't want to go out…" he stated and the girl gave the cutest pout she can manage, "Please, Please, pretty please?" she begged.

…

The boy sighed in annoyance at her teary eyes, "fine… but that doesn't mean I'll enjoy it." He muttered and went in his room to change. The hot chocolate forgotten on the table as the girl went to put on her boots.

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Before they exited Sakura huffed and pointed at his home, "when we get back we're going to decorate either you like it or not!" she stated and walked off, a disgruntled Uchiha following behind.

Sasuke came out with a dark blue Jacket, black pants, black boots and a plain white scarf; he shoved his hands in his pockets to keep them warm.

As they walked, Sasuke had to admit to himself the village was indeed beautiful when snow covered every house and shop as he looked up and around.

People bustled about, buying gifts and children played in the snow.

He looked beside him at the pinkette, she looked as giddy as a small child and often grabbed his arm and pointed at random things that perked her interest; there were many Christmas trees around the yards and the side of the streets and decorations on every house, the whole village glimmered and shone with lights and the snow sparkled like some snowy wonderland.

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They stopped in front of an old, run down apartment.

Sakura knocked on the door, "Naruto? Are you in there?" she asked and turned the doorknob; if the door's open it means Naruto's home.

They stepped inside to see the whole house a mess! _'Didn't I tell the moron to clean after himself?'_ she growled but paused when the house was dead silent, not even the lights turned on… Sasuke didn't utter a word as he followed Sakura to the boy's room, the door was closed but light peeked out from under the crack of the door; the girl opened it…

Sakura and Sasuke saw the blond; he was sitting on the corner of his bed facing away from them, his back slumped and his head down, looking out the window as families happily passed by.

But what startled them was that the house was freezing cold and he was wearing nothing but shorts!

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Naruto sat alone as he watched the people pass by…

Iruka usually spent Christmas with him but this year the man couldn't because he went to spend it with some of his old friends, so Naruto would be alone… He was depressed… he had taken a bath earlier and paused mid way while he was getting dressed when he glanced out the window and watched the people passing by.

The boy was too lost in thought to notice Sakura and Sasuke enter and was startled when he felt the bed sink slightly beside him and a warm hand placed on his shoulder, he jumped in surprise and came face to face with green eyes filled with worry, "Naruto you're going to get sick if you don't wear something warm!" she shouted and quickly grabbed the messed up blanket on the bed and wrapped it around him, "What are you thinking?" she scolded the boy and embraced him, rubbing his back to raise his body temperature up again.

Sakura looked at her friend's face when he didn't reply and her heart clenched, his expression similar that of a kicked puppy and that wasn't good…

"Naruto…" the girl knew all too well what was wrong with him… "What are you doing here Sakura-Chan?" he asked, his expression not changing, in his peripheral vision he saw the Uchiha walk up beside the bed, "Teme?" he asked again, "Jeez Dobe… I noticed you're depressed but I never expected you to be the suicidal type and freeze yourself to death" Sasuke said and the blonde glared, "Shut it Teme! I'm not suicidal and I'm in no mood to fight with you now…" he said and looked out the widow again; Sasuke remained silent, sat beside Sakura and also stared out the window…

The girl frowned at both boys.

They watched a choir singing in front of some houses, the three kids listened to their Christmas carols; Naruto leaned on Sakura, his face overheating, a small smile tugged on his lips as his head rested against hers, he enjoyed the comfort… with them… he didn't feels so alone.

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The three remained like that for a few minutes. Watching the passerby's…

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Naruto frowned when the heat vanished as the girl let go and got up, "Let's go Sasuke-kun" she said and the raven haired boy nodded, getting up as well, "W-Wait! Where are you going?" the blond shouted and grabbed Sakura's wrist before she can leave; the two looked at him and saw his pleading eyes.

It wasn't that hard to see that he wanted them to stay…

"We're going to wait out your door; it's embarrassing seeing you change just so you can come out and celebrate Christmas with us!" Sakura smiled and Naruto's frown turned WAY upside down "really?" he asked hopefully and the girl nodded "Since we're all going to spend the holidays alone, what better than to spend it alone all together?" she said, "But what about your parents?" Sasuke questioned, "oh, they're very busy and can't come this year so I'm free" she stated, waving her hand and walked out the door, two confused gazes following her form, Sasuke and Naruto didn't say anything for a second…

"Teme…" Started the blond, "I don't know Dobe…" Sasuke replied.

"…wear something really warm, it's very cold outside" Sasuke stated and stepped out of the room, shutting the door closed.

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Naruto came out wearing an orange jacket, his orange pants but the folds on the bottom were unfolded, a forest green winter cap, a pair of black snow boots, a green scarf, black gloves and a grin on his face, "I'm ready!" he chirped and gave a thumbs up, the three walked out the apartment and Naruto locked the door.

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"Wow! It's so beautiful!" the whiskered boy gasped and pointed at whatever fascinated him just like Sakura did earlier, "Yeah!" Sakura grinned but Sasuke just walked beside them saying absolutely nothing, this annoyed the girl slightly and decided to amuse herself with the two boys, she looked around and then looked up, a large mass of snow was caught between the braches of a tree and it looked ready to collapse, the girl grinned evilly as an idea popped in her mind.

She stopped walking, "hey guys?" she said and the two boys stopped too and looked at her, "Yeah?" Naruto replied and the girl smiled, "Can you do something for me?" she asked and both of them nodded, "Sure Sakura-Chan! Anything!" Naruto chirped and the girl grabbed their arms and led them to the spot under the tree, "Stay here ok?" she said and the boys looked at her in question as she walked about 10 meters away, she picked up a fist sized stone from the ground and grinned like a maniac, Sasuke watched her suspiciously, "what are you doing?" he asked, "Watch this!" she yelled and threw the rock above them on the snow infested tree and all the white particles came crashing down on Naruto's and Sasuke's heads.

They were literally covered with the stuff! Not even their heads showed in the massive pile!

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"AH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" Sakura laughed so hard her sides hurt and fell on her knees.

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Two heads poked out of the pile, Naruto spit out some snow and Sasuke glared as they dug themselves out while Sakura laughed like an asylum escapee.

"You'll pay for that!" both of them yelled at the same time, Naruto took a fistful of the white stuff and formed a snow ball; Sakura looked up and gasped as Sasuke did the same, "uh-oh!" she yelped and dodged the two snow balls by hiding behind a tree, she formed some of her own and flung it back but missed as two more came her way, she dodged again and started running, "Get back here!" she heard Naruto yell and the two boys ran after her, Sakura ran for her life "RUN, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN, YOU CAN'T CATCH ME, I'M SAKURA HARUNO!" she laughed back at them.

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But unfortunately her feet took her to the top of the Hokage monuments; she stopped abruptly and looked down, seeing the steep cliff, she shot her head around and gulped…

The two boys were standing a few meters away, both of them with crossed arms and a smirk on their face…

"Oh crap…" Sakura cursed and their smirks widened "Nowhere to run Sakura-Chan!" Naruto cackled, "Now it's time for revenge, give up and we'll go easy on you!" Sasuke said, holding a snow ball, threatening to throw it "Never!" she yelled and kicked snow at them, they covered their faces; Naruto laughed and a small chuckle escaped Sasuke, they were ready to teach her a lesson but their eyes widened as well as Sakura's "Whoa!" she yelped…

When Sakura kicked the snow at them she lost her footing and slipped forward, she fell on her stomach but half of her was already hanging off of the cliff!

She tried to hold on for dear life but the ice under the snow made her loose her grip and she slipped…

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It all happened in slow motion…

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"AAAAHHHHH!" She screamed as she pummelled towards the ground.

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"SAKURA-CHAN!"

Naruto screamed as he and Sasuke bolted forward.

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Pain shot up her arm, Sakura gasped as she abruptly paused in mid air.

She looked up…

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A gloved hand was enclosed around hers tightly; she looked up to see the arm connected up to blue eyes, "Hold on Sakura-Chan! Give me your other hand!" Naruto said as she grabbed his other hand, she looked behind Naruto to see that he was also hanging off the cliff, Sasuke was holding on to Naruto's legs and started pulling with much difficulty.

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Once they were on safe, stable ground the boys crowded close to her to see if she was alright, "are you ok Sakura-Chan?" Naruto said worryingly as she took hold of her shoulders and looked her over, Sasuke did the same, the worry was clear in their eyes so she decided to ease their anxiousness, "It's ok, I'm fine… thanks for saving me" she said, and there was a moment of silence…

They all stared at each other for a moment, "I guess that's enough snowball fighting for one day…" the girl muttered as they proceeded to walk down the mountain.

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After the little incident of Sakura almost going 'splat' like a melon on the bottom of the mountain they went back to the village and actually enjoyed themselves, they went and ate Dango, Naruto had to wait outside because the man selling the goods kicked him out…

They were now walking along the busy street.

"Look! Free face painting! Oh can we? Please?" she asked, Sasuke shook his head no, "I don't do face painting" the Uchiha crossed his arms, "Ok but I want to face paint! What about you Naruto?" she asked and the blonde looked a bit nervous, if he asked the person to paint his face they would obviously refuse if they saw his whiskers and see who he really is…

"Sorry Sakura-Chan but I don't want to either… you go on ahead" he smiled nervously.

Sakura frowned, knowing that look on his face but she went to the artist anyway, the woman smiled brightly "Hello sweetie! What would you like me to make?" she asked and the girl thought for a second, glancing behind her at the two boys waiting for her and grinned when an idea came to her "oh! I want…" Sakura whispered in the young woman's ear and she nodded, "Ok dear!" she smiled and started.

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As Naruto and Sasuke waited for the girl they looked around, "Hey Teme how did you manage to get out and have fun? I thought that wasn't your style" Naruto stated and Sasuke grunted in annoyance, "Because Sakura dragged me out, I hate Christmas…" the raven haired boy said and the blond lifted a brow at him, not convinced, he was about to respond when they heard the bells that hung over the small shop's door ring.

They turned around to see Sakura walk out but when they got a good look at her face their eyes widened in surprise and shock.

Sakura had painted little Christmas-y vines starting from the corner of her eyes up until the side of her face. But what shocked them was that she had painted three lines on each cheek… looking exactly like Naruto's whiskers… a small Uchiha clan symbol painted just under her left eye and a red and green swirl just over her eyebrow on the right side, "So? What do you think?" she asked and the two remained speechless… The girl grinned and pointed at her cheeks, "See Naruto? I have whiskers too! And look Sasuke-kun! It's the Uchiha symbol!" she grinned and pointed at them, proud of herself.

Sakura pouted when they didn't say anything, "You don't like it?" she asked sadly, "N-No! It's great! The blonde breathed…

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other for a moment, somehow the same thought came to both of them… they looked back at the girl, a grin split the blonde's face and a small smile adorned the onyx eyed boy, "I like it" Sasuke said and Sakura smiled brightly, "Thanks! Come on! There's so much to do!" she chirped and pulled on their hands.

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They saw a toy shop nearby; it was huge!

Large dolls and teddy bears stood outside, supposedly inviting the people in.

Naruto and Sakura had glued on the glass, looking at the toys inside, Sasuke stood next to them and looked inside too, "I like that one!" Naruto stated and pointed at a large stuffed fox.

"The fox is pink…" Sasuke deadpanned, "So?" Naruto asked, lifting a brow at him…

"Its _**pink**_…" the black eyed boy said again, this time emphasizing the word pink, "yeah, _**so**_?" the blue eyed boy asked again, emphasizing the word so and Sasuke rolled his eyes, "never mind…" the Uchiha sighed, "What's wrong with pink?" asked the girl and Sasuke saw the look on her face… she seemed offended… "Nothing…" he said quickly and continued looking in the shop, "I like… that one!" Sakura pointed at a teddy bear, half of it was orange and the other half blue, the line going down the middle looking like it was stitched and a pink heart in the middle of its chest, the mouth was an X and the eyes were beady black.

"What do you like Sasuke-kun?" she asked, the boy scoffed, "I don't like anything, toys are worthless and a waste of money" he stated and the two kids frowned.

"Let's go inside!" she chirped but Naruto looked nervous once more, "Don't worry Naruto, as long as I have whiskers on my cheeks too, nobody will notice!" she smiled and held out a hand for him to take, he smiled softly and took her hand, they went inside…

"Hello children! Anything you wish to buy?" an old man asked cheerfully, Naruto was a bit nervous but when he noticed that the man didn't falter his smile once, he grinned; the children looked around but didn't buy anything, Sasuke took note of the things Naruto and Sakura wanted...

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For once… Naruto felt like a normal kid…

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They left the shop and proceeded to many other little shops; nobody scowled at him, nobody glared at him and nobody kicked him out…

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They had been to almost every shop… Sakura dragged them along, the blonde and pinkette were chatting constantly, somehow always dragging Sasuke into their conversation and he seemed that he wasn't enjoying it.

But he was… he really loved the time he was spending with his friends, he loved their attention.

"And remember when we went to that other toy store-?" Naruto babbled on at Sakura, he was giddy like a kid that just won a life time supply of chocolate, he had never seen the Dobe so happy… even for the Dobe…

Sasuke had to admit that he was happy too.

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Sakura had literally ordered Sasuke to accept that they were going to decorate his house… and they did.

They cut down a small pine tree, placed it in Sasuke's living room and started decorating it, they had already taken out all of the Christmas decorations the boy had in his house and placed them everywhere.

"Hey Teme! Here! Put on the finishing touch!" Naruto grinned and gave the boy the star, Sasuke stepped on the chair and placed on top of the tree, his two friends cheered "You guys want to play outside?" Sakura asked and both boys nodded.

They made snow angels and started another snowball fight because Naruto threw a snowball at Sasuke's face and Sasuke doing the same in return; they also build a snowman, "Hmm… the snowman needs to keep warm during winter" Sakura mumbled and took off her gloves and placed them on the tip of the branches that acted as arms, Naruto followed suit and took off his hat and put it on the snowman's head, Sasuke sighed when the two looked at him expectedly, he untied his scarf and placed it around the snowman's neck, "It's perfect! That way people will know that all three of us did it together!" Sakura grinned.

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The three roasted marshmallows over the fire as they sat in front of the fireplace.

They had decided to do a small slumber party in Sasuke's living room so they were sitting on their futons in their pyjamas.

"This was a great day" the green eyed girl sighed in delight, "yeah… this was the best day of my life." Naruto said and looked at the girl, noticing she still had the face paint on…

"And it's all thanks to you Sakura-Chan" Naruto smiled, "What do you mean? I didn't do anything…" the girl looked at him confused but Sasuke butt in, "you did a lot, you got us all together" Stated Sasuke as he blew on his hot marshmallow and bit off a small piece, "yeah but that doesn't mean anything" she said and finished her own marshmallow, Sasuke rolled his eyes and Naruto shook his head.

Sakura glanced at the window and gasped, "Look! A snow storm!" she said and ran towards the window and pulled the curtain wide open, "Whoa!" her whiskered friend gasped beside her as the raging snow flew around, they couldn't even see the houses across the street!

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"I'm going to sleep, I'm tired" Sasuke said and lay down on his futon, pulling the covers over him.

Sakura yawned "I'm sleepy too"

"Yeah, let's hit the sack" Naruto said and the two lay down on their own makeshift beds near the fireplace and next to Sasuke.

"When the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful; since we have no place to go… let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…" Sakura sang in a whisper and closed her eyes… The boys closed their eyes too, a smile on each of their faces.

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"Sakura-Chan! Wake up! Wake up!" A voice yelled happily in Sakura's ear and shook her, causing the poor girl to jolt awake and hit her head on something…

"OW!" she and the voice chorused, she opened her eyes to see Naruto on the floor next to her, rubbing his head.

She rubbed her own sore forehead and growled at the boy, "What!" she yelled, the blond smiled and pointed at the tree.

"Look Sakura-Chan! Presents!" he announced and ran beside the tree, Sakura saw two presents under it, Naruto looked at the tags, "this one's for me and the other is for you!" he chirped and started tearing the orange and white wrappings of his present and opened the box, a stuffed fox lay inside and the two gasped, "Santa does exist!" Naruto cheered and hugged it, Sakura walked over to her red and pink present and opened it too, the orange and blue bear lay inside…

She gapped, "H-how?"

Just then Sasuke came inside from the kitchen, holding a cup of hot chocolate, "You like them?" he asked and the two looked at him bewildered, "You bought them? How? When?" Naruto asked and the Uchiha nodded, "when you were gathering your things to sleep over I sneaked away and bought them for you, hiding them in the closet until morning, the shops were open until midnight so I had time" he explained and took a sip, then placing it on the table but the wind got knocked out of him as he fell on the floor.

"Thank you Sasuke-kun!" Sakura chirped and hugged his torso tightly, Naruto had him in a headlock "Yeah Teme, Thanks!" he said and gave him a noogie, messing the Uchiha's hair; "yeah ok you're welcome, can you let go now?" Sasuke gasped, trying to breath.

They let go and got up, "If only we could've done something for you too…" Sakura looked down and Naruto nodded, "Yeah…"

"You already have" Sasuke muttered; the two looked at him oddly but none of them mentioned anything any further. Sasuke smirked, "And FYI Dobe, Santa Clause is just a fairy tale, he doesn't exist" the boy stated and the blond fumed, "He does so!" he argued and the Uchiha rolled his eyes, "Whatever" he mumbled, "Hey guys you want to make some Christmas treats?" the girl asked and Naruto nodded eagerly, "No" Sasuke huffed and Sakura pouted, "Aw! Why not?" she whined, Sasuke crossed his arms "You'll make a mess in the kitchen I'll have to clean up after" he said, "We'll clean the mess up! Come on Sasuke-kun, please?" she whined and managed to convince him, Naruto and Sakura ran in the kitchen with his mother's cook book.

Sasuke shook his head, a small smile gracing his lips.

His head shot around when he heard the sound of bells ringing for a second; "Hm?" he walked over to the window to see the blanket covering the entire village but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary.

"Hm, probably nothing" he mumbled and went to walk in the kitchen when he spotted something that definitely wasn't there before…

A blue and white present sat under the tree next to the stuffed fox and bear…

He kneeled beside it to read the tag, 'to: Sasuke Uchiha' it said…

It must have been one of his friends that were probably messing up his kitchen right now.

But wait… if they did then wouldn't they just give it to him themselves and yell merry Christmas?

Sasuke was overly confused, he slowly opened the gift to reveal a stuffed brown weasel; it had plastic shuriken and kunai strapped to it like a ninja animal, it was what had caught his eye during their little adventure in the toy shop!

But how did they know? He didn't tell them anything and they were too busy with all the other toys to notice his side glance!

He sat there; dumbfounded for a minute, "Hm…" he pondered but shrugged it off, deciding that he didn't want to know… he got up, leaving the weasel next to the other toys and proceeded to walk into the kitchen again but his walk turned into an abrupt run when he heard something shatter in there, "Naruto, Sakura! You better not have broken anything expensive in there!" he yelled and ran inside.

Unknown to everyone, a man sat on his vehicle outside on a roof and watched the children from the kitchen window argue and trying to bake some goods; he chuckled, stroking his white beard.

"Family is already standing in front of you Sasuke, you will never be alone"

"You're already accepted Naruto, you will be a great person one day and loved by all"

Finally the man glanced at the girl.

"May you find the light during the dark ages Sakura; they will be there when you need them the most just like you were when they needed you"

The man gave a sad smile, already knowing their fates…

"May hope and love keep you together through thick and thin no matter what" he whispered and adjusted his red hat, he grabbed the whip and struck it, "Onward!" he shouted and flew away into the sky in his sleigh, disappearing from view.

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**Raven: O.o who was that man? lol**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS!**


	5. Chapter 4: Kakashi Hatake!

**Raven: Hey guys! Thank you so much for your reviews! Basically _Haru Shikamotoroshi_'s and _CSSisSaved_'s comments were what lifted my spirits, I thought about what she said and figured… she's right! Ya know what? I'll continue this story till the end! CHA! But then again all of your comments lifted my spirits! :D **

**P.S. Yes _winged-angel21_ you can call me Raven-Chan! :D :D but you'll have to wait until I reveal Sakura's past because I love building curiosity.**

**P.S.S. Enjoy!**

…**.**

**Chapter 4: Kakashi Hatake!**

Naruto opened the door and peeked outside of the room they were in; they were waiting for their assigned teacher.

Sakura glanced over at Sasuke; they hadn't spoken since that little 'talk' they had… and the raven haired boy had been completely ignoring her. Sasuke was mad at her and she only hoped he didn't hate her.

He sat in his usual position but she noticed his tense stature, she chose not to speak to him until he cooled down a bit so she shifted her gaze back to her knucklehead friend, he stood on a table, "what are you up to Naruto?" she asked, the Uchiha looked over and saw Naruto place an eraser in between the doors, "It's what he gets for making us wait!" he said and jumped off the table, Sakura grinned, "great idea! Stuff like this is the best!" she cackled and gave the boy a high five, Sasuke scoffed, "No way could a superior Shinobi be caught in such a simple booby trap!" he grunted and just as he said that a hand reached and opened the door revealing a masked man, the eraser did its job and effectively landed on his head; the two burst out laughing, "Ha-ha-ha! GOTCHA! Good one!" Naruto laughed, "Set him up and knock him down! That was awesome!" Sakura cheered and gave double thumbs up; Sasuke glanced at his new teacher and frowned, _'So… this is our new elite Shinobi leader? He looks completely worthless!'_ he thought.

The man gave an eye crinkle as a makeshift smile, "Hmm… how should I put this? Based on my first impression, I'd have you say… you're a bunch of idiots." The three kids frowned.

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"Now I'd like you all to tell us a little about yourselves." Said the man.

They had decided to go up on the roof to talk.

"Like what?" asked Naruto, "Oh, you know, the usual… Your favorite thing, what you hate most… Dreams, ambitions, hobbies, things like that." The grey haired man explained, "Ok, you go first!" said Naruto, "Oh me...? My name is Kakashi Hatake…" the man explained some things about him and the three kids sweat dropped…

"…all he really said was his name…" Sakura muttered, "Now it's your turn!" the man said and pointed at Naruto, "Me? Right! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What I like is instant cup ramen! What I like even better is playing pranks with Sakura-Chan to get a good laugh and when Iruka-sensei treats me to ramen at Ichiraku! What I hate is the three minute wait after I pour in the boiling water. My dream one day…"

'_He appears to have nothing more on his mind than ramen and pranks…'_ Kakashi thought, "…is to be a better Shinobi than lord Hokage! And then all the villagers will have to acknowledge my existence at last!" Naruto exclaimed, "I also plan to marry the woman of my dreams…" the boy added in a mutter, glancing at the girl beside him; only Kakashi took notice of this, _'hmm… well, hasn't this turned out interesting…'_?' thought the man, "Next." He said and Sasuke spoke this time, "My name is Uchiha Sasuke, there are plenty of things I hate and very few I like… it seems pointless to be talking about 'dreams', that's just a word… but what I do have is determination, I plan to restore my clan..." the boy paused.

"And there's someone I have sworn… to kill." He finished.

Kakashi narrowed his eye; his sharp sight caught that small side glance when Sasuke paused, _'yes… this indeed has turned out very interesting…'_ Hatake thought as he glanced at the girl, _'I better keep my eye on her'_ he then nodded at the pinkette, "My name is Haruno Sakura and my favorite things are puppies, flowers…"

'_Typical girl stuff'_ he thought, "…Playing pranks with Naruto, I especially like when Naruto, Sasuke-kun and I go and have lunch all together! My dream one day is…" the girl paused and placed a hand under her chin, thinking.

'_So they're all already friends? Hmm…'_ Kakashi thought, "…is to become a strong Kunoichi and protect my precious ones!" she smiled.

Kakashi closed his eye; certain teammates of his flashing in his mind, to think that Sakura reminded him of their existence in that single sentence annoyed him…

"Enough." He said, "Formal training beings tomorrow, you will be going through a survival exercise" Kakashi said and the two of the three kids started yelling, when the man explained that only nine will pass and that the rating is 66% of failure they all stood speechless; Kakashi gave them a slip of paper each and told them to meet him at the training grounds at 5:00 am sharp.

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To say Sakura was pissed was an understatement, "he's three hours late! I'll kill him when I see him!" the girl growled and Naruto nodded "I'm with you there Sakura-Chan!" he grumbled, Sasuke silently agreed as well.

With a puff of smoke their teacher appeared, "good morning class!" Kakashi waved cheerfully, "YOU'RE LATE!" the blond and pinkette yelled, "Anyway, let's begin training." Stated the man and took out two small bells, "See these bells? Your challenge is to steal these from me before the timer sounds" he explained and pointed at the timer, "Anyone who fails doesn't get any lunch; instead you will be tied to that tree stump so I can eat your lunch in front of you" he finished, _'Oh… for once, I wish I listened to Sayuri…'_ Sakura thought and held her growling stomach, chorusing with the other two stomachs. "All you need is just one bell… apiece. But since there aren't enough to go around, one of you is definitely headed for the stump… And whoever that is will be the first one to fail. One of you is on your way back to school… and disgrace." Kakashi smirked under his mask, seeing the three look nervous. "You may, if you choose, use shuriken; attack as though you mean to kill or you'll never stand a chance." He said and Naruto took on a cocky pose, resting his arms behind his head, "You couldn't even dodge an eraser! You're gonna get yourself killed!" he laughed and Kakashi narrowed his eyes, "Only the weak speak loudly, now let's forget the Dobe and we'll start on my signal!" the man replied; Naruto glared, seeing the smug look Sasuke was giving him and before Kakashi could speak the boy took out a kunai and went to throw it at his teacher.

But before anyone could comprehend anything, Kakashi was behind Naruto, threatening him with the boy's own kunai, "not so fast, I didn't say go" he said; Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were shocked, _'I didn't even see him move!'_ Sakura thought, _'so this is an elite Shinobi…'_ thought Sasuke, "but at least you struck to kill, heh… maybe I'm starting to like you three. Now… ready… steady… GO!" Kakashi shouted.

And the four shot off towards the trees.

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Sakura lay under some bushes on her belly, "IT'S TIME FOR THE MATCH TO BEGIN!" she heard a shout and she looked to see Naruto taking their teacher head on, _'Naruto… you idiot…'_ she inwardly sighed at his stupidity and watched as Kakashi kicked his butt…

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Then, after Kakashi caught Naruto in a simple booby trap… Sasuke gave away his position by throwing shuriken at him when he thought he was off guard. Sasuke was loosing too, even if he did put up a bigger fight than Naruto.

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Sakura crawled away from the fight. She needed to think!

But just then she caught sight of Kakashi, she quickly hid behind some bushes nearby, _'Safe! He hasn't seen me!'_ she sighed in relief, "Sakura, behind you!" a voice sang; she looked behind herself to see her teacher!

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"Oh… my head…" Sakura muttered and got off of the ground, "What happened?" she looked around and cursed, "I passed out? How?" she growled but then gasped remembering what happened… "Sasuke-kun! He's hurt!" she panicked, "What-" she paused mid sentence "Wait a minute…" the girl forced herself to stop and think about this; if Sasuke was dying then he would be lying dead right there where she saw him before…

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She then realized it.

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"An illusion! I fell for a simple illusion! Damn it!" she punched the ground and white hot pain effectively shot in her knuckles, "OW!" she yelped and cursed again, holding her hand…

She looked at her trusty watch, "Crap! Only one hour left!" she cursed but since Kakashi thought he got her, she was safe from him for now so it was the perfect time to think.

'_Great! This kind of strength Kakashi has isn't fair play against us Genin! How are we supposed to beat him?'_ she thought and measured the odds.

Add Naruto on one end of the scale and Kakashi-sensei on the other and it leaned towards Kakashi's side…

Add Sasuke in Naruto's place and the scaled leaned towards Kakashi again.

Add herself and obviously Kakashi would hit the bottom of the scale and she would be shot sky high so no way could she beat him.

She may not be as strong as the boys but she wasn't called the brainiest bookworm for nothing.

She decided to replace her teammates and teacher with weights, so if each of them weighed about 15 pounds, Kakashi would obviously weigh more…

Hold on a second…

Add Naruto by himself and the scale would lean towards Kakashi… but if you add Sasuke then the scale would lean a bit towards her teammates… Add herself and the scale is even with Kakashi!

15 + 15 + 15 = 45

45 = Kakashi's strength!

"…_We will begin by dividing you into three-man cells…" _ Iruka's words rang through her head and then it came to her, "Of course! That's why they put us in a team! No Genin would stand a chance against a Jonin ninja alone! This exercise is about teamwork!" Sakura wanted to slap herself for not realizing it sooner…

"I have to find Naruto and Sasuke-kun!" she said and shot off towards a direction.

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Naruto hung upside down with his arms crossed, dangling from his foot, he caught sight of the tree stumps, behind them some kind of stone "…is that a rock? Hey! The lunch boxes are on that boulder! Maybe I can eat everyone's lunch, even if I can't have those bells fair and square" he grinned evilly with his plan but a voice made him look on the opposite side, "Naruto!" Sakura was running towards him, "Sakura-Chan?"

"What are you doing, dangling up there? Get down!" she ordered and threw a kunai at the rope, hitting bull's-eye and cut Naruto down, he landed on his back rather ungracefully…

"Ouch…" Naruto mumbled and got up, "Listen, I know how to defeat Kakashi-sensei!" she said and Naruto's face brightened, "really? How?" he asked, "No time, we need to find Sasuke-kun!" the girl said and took Naruto's hand, pulling him off to find Sasuke.

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They found Sasuke… in the ground with only his head sticking out.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Naruto bellowed in laughter while Sakura helped dig the Uchiha out, "Shut up Dobe! At least I wasn't caught in a simple booby trap!" hissed Sasuke and the blonde stopped laughing, he glared "Why you-"

"Both of you shut up and listen!" Sakura growled and pulled on both Naruto and Sasuke's ear with each hand, they grunted in pain, effectively shutting up.

"The point in this exercise is teamwork!" she announced, "it actually has a point?" asked Naruto, "how do you know this involves teamwork?" Sasuke said, for the first time talking to her in a while, she nearly flinched at his cold stare…

The two boys looked at her in question, the girl summed up the courage and spoke "While you were both fighting blindly I actually stopped to think! Us Genin don't stand a chance against Kakashi-sensei alone! Why do you think they divided us in three man cells?" she explained but they didn't look sure, the girl sighed "think of it like a pack of wolves, one wolf alone can't take out a Caribou five times it's size! It needs to be in a pack to work together and take it down!" she said and Naruto agreed right away, Sasuke had grudgingly accepted, realising she was right but didn't admit it; it seemed he was still angry about the day before yesterday but Naruto cut the tense atmosphere between the two who were unconsciously having a staring contest.

"So how do we take him down, Alpha?" Naruto asked the girl humorously, winking at her; Sakura broke the eye contact first and smiled at her blond friend "ok, here's what we're gonna do…" she whispered as the two listened intently.

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Unknown to them Kakashi watched his team from a tree just above them, _'smart girl'_ the man thought as he turned the page of his favourite book, _'but can your little wolf pack catch this Caribou before time runs out?'_ he then asked himself; they had five minutes left.

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Naruto hid in the bushes and watched Kakashi as he read his book peacefully; suddenly eight clones burst out of their hiding places, surrounding Kakashi!

"Naruto, your clones didn't work the first time, what makes you think it would work a second time? Unless you want me to perform the sacred 'thousand years of death' technique on you again" the man deadpanned…

Naruto cringed but then smirked "That's what you think!" the boy shouted and the clones attacked, Kakashi dodged all the punches and kicks but was caught off guard when shuriken rained from the sky!

Kakashi just barely made it out with Naruto's clones in the way, he managed to leap out of the way but was surprised when he saw a rip on his shoulder sleeve, "not bad" he grunted as more shuriken rained towards him, he again dodged effortlessly, the clones then pulled out their own shuriken and shot them towards him, he just sidestepped the attacks, the shuriken landing just across from the clones on the opposite side, the man still had his book in hand, "is that all you got?" asked Kakashi, boredom lacing his voice but his eye widened when he saw light reflect on thin surfaces around him, he was trapped between the invisible charka strings! _'Hm… so the clones weren't just throwing sharp objects at me'_ he thought as he hastily put his book in his pouch.

All of a sudden he saw flames in his peripheral vision; he looked to see the strings catching fire! He needed to get out of there!

Kakashi managed a substitution jutsu at the last second and escaped just in time but he had no time to react because he was attacked again by a black and blue blur.

He dodged and ducked; finally he blocked the blur and saw it was Sasuke!

The Uchiha reached for the bells but didn't manage to grab them because Kakashi threw him back, he landed gracefully not too far away and this time Naruto decided to attack along with four of his clones, Sasuke following behind.

Kakashi was having a really hard time dodging and ducking the punches and kicks being received by both Naruto and Sasuke.

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The three fought, attacking and defending, finally Kakashi managed to push them both back so he can regain his breath, his eye narrowed at them, _'they make quite a good team together… but where's the third member?'_ he thought.

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30 seconds were left before the timer would ring.

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Kakashi tensed again, his full attention on the boys as they attacked again, Sasuke leaped off the ground, deciding to attack from the air and Naruto charged on from land.

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But at the last second Kakashi sensed the faint Charka signature behind him.

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He grabbed the hand that reached for the bells and heard a gasp; he abruptly spun the person around and pulled out a kunai.

The two boys froze in their tracks; Naruto cutting his charge and Sasuke landed back on the ground, stopping their attacks…

Kakashi held Sakura's arm painfully tight behind her back while he pressed a kunai to her throat.

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"BRRRRRRRRRRING!"

The timer sounded off…

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There was a moment of silence…

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The girl struggled but couldn't escape.

"This was indeed an interesting fight, but you shouldn't have stopped your attack when I took hold of Sakura, if I were an enemy I would have immediately put my guard back up if you stopped and make you watch as I sliced her pretty little neck, at least you might have had the chance to take the bells" Kakashi stated as he pressed the kunai tighter against her throat, making the girl whimper in pain.

The boys said nothing but narrowed their eyes in anxiousness, their bodies tensing even more when the man said what he did.

He took notice of this, "you impressed me but since you couldn't get the bells, one of you will be tied to the stump…" he stated and let go of Sakura, she stumbled forward towards the boys, Naruto caught her before she could fall down; she stood straight and rubbed her sore spots "…And that someone will be Naruto" the man finished, "WHAT? WHY?" the boy whined, "Because I heard you thinking out loud of sneaking lunch for yourself before Sakura interfered with your foolish plan" he stated and comical tears ran down Naruto's face "aw man!" the blond whined.

10 minutes later…

Naruto stood, tied to the stump while Sakura and Sasuke sat on either side of him.

Their stomachs sounded off pretty loud.

"Oh my, listen to all the little stomachs growl! By the way you three… I have an announcement about this exercise…" he said, and the three looked at him "I am indeed surprised that you figured out the point of this exercise but your teamwork was lacking greatly, if it weren't for Sakura's quick thinking then you would have all been straight away sent to the academy…" Kakashi said and Naruto grinned, "Yeah, yeah! So we WOULD HAVE BEEN, does that mean we pass?" he asked.

"…No" the man deadpanned and his students gasped "but, but we figured out the purpose! Doesn't that mean we at least did something?" Sakura yelled and the man shifted his gaze on her "Correction, **you **figured out its purpose, the other two acted without thinking, Sasuke already decided he was better off playing solo and Naruto tried to do it single-handedly what should have been the work of all three, in which you had to tell them! However since they had the decency to listen to you and worked very well together while you did a sneak attack is a plus to your situation" Kakashi stated but the girl remembered something…

"Wait a second! Why do you have two bells if we're a team of three?" she asked and Kakashi smirked, "my, my… you have one sharp mind Haruno… but I will leave you to think about that, here…" he said and tossed the bells over to her, she caught them with ease, "I will give you one more chance, one that will be far more harder than our little test with the bells. If you're prepared to continue you may eat one of the bento boxes but no sharing with Naruto, he goes hungry." Stated the masked ninja and Naruto pouted, "Whyyyyy?" he whined and Kakashi glared at the boy, "the same reason you were tied to the tree stump" he said and looked at Sasuke and Sakura, "If either of you feeds him, you fail the test right there. My word is law, do you understand?" he glared at them, picked up Naruto's bento and before they could say anything he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Hey, this it'll be a breeze. I can go without lunch… no problem!" Naruto bragged but the loud rumble of his stomach said otherwise…

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Sakura sat and ate her lunch, finally shutting her stomach up and stared at the bells in her hand _'why two bells? Was he planning to turn us against each other?'_ she thought hard but couldn't find a solution, the now deafening sound of Naruto's intestines groaning in hunger started to annoy her.

She looked at the blonde, he had a frown on his face as he stared at their food, slumping in his tied up position… _'Poor Naruto…'_ the girl thought.

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"Here…"

Naruto's and Sakura's eyes widened when they saw Sasuke hand out his food to Naruto.

"Sasuke-kun…? But Kakashi said not to!" the girl stuttered and the blonde stared dumfounded at the Uchiha, "We'll all need our strength if we're going to work together to get those bells, you're no good to me if you're just going to be a liability, besides Kakashi-sensei could be miles away" Sasuke told Naruto and the Uzumaki boy stood in shock…

Sakura thought about it and figured Sasuke was right, so she picked up the chopsticks and held a piece of wrapped rice over Naruto's mouth, he looked at her in surprise "yeah Sasuke's right, here, I'll feed you" she offered. The whiskered boy's cheeks flustered red as he opened his mouth, eating the food she gave him; when he swallowed he grinned in return, "Thanks…" he said and ate some more.

While Sakura fed Naruto from her and Sasuke's bento boxes, the boys noticed she was staring at the bells, deep in thought; she picked up some food from her bento with her chopsticks and gave it to her whiskered friend and then picked up some from Sasuke's lunch box but paused mid way; Naruto looked at her a bit confused, even Sasuke glanced over to see what was wrong…

Her eyes darted from the food to the bells…

Hold on…

Sakura looked at the bells…

Then at the bento boxes…

Two bells…

Two bento boxes…

"That's it!" Sakura gasped at her discovery, the boys looked at her in question, "Guys, remember when Kakashi-sensei said about giving us one more chance?" she said and the boys nodded slowly, not really understanding what she's getting at…

"He's testing us right now!" the girl exclaimed, proud of her discovery, "what do you mean Sakura-Chan?" asked Naruto, "You see-" Sakura started but was cut off when the wind suddenly picked up and thunder boomed; in a huge cloud of smoke their master appeared!

"YOU…" he growled in a scary voice, the aura around him deadly as Naruto and Sakura screamed while Sasuke gave a small gasp of surprise and took a defensive position.

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"…Pass! 3" the man winked, the deadly aura disappearing as fast as it came, leaving the three kids as confused as ever…

The grey haired teacher looked at the girl, "Good job Sakura!" he praised and ruffled her hair.

"We pass? Why? How?" asked Naruto and Kakashi gave an eye crinkle, a sign of his smile, "A true Shinobi seeks for hidden meanings within hidden meanings. In a ninja's world, those who violate the rules and fail to follow orders are lower than trash… However… those who do not care for and support their fellows… are even lower than that!" the man explained, _'that's kind of… cool!'_ Naruto blushed and Sasuke smirked, Kakashi pointed at the girl, making the boys look at her "your comrade here is a lot smarter than I thought; she is definitely a great addition to this team" the silver haired man patted her on the head and Sakura grinned, "I knew he would test us!" she praised herself, "I guess this little wolf pack has passed but it hasn't taken the Caribou down yet, you need more training for that and I will teach you but that's all for today, team seven. Your duties will commence tomorrow!" the masked man announced, _'he was watching us the whole time!'_ the three thought the same thing.

They went to leave, "Hey guys? I'm still tied up here… guys?" She heard Naruto shout behind them; the girl turned around and walked towards the boy and sliced the rope off, "Thanks, hey Sakura-Chan want to-" Naruto started but was cut off by the girl "Sorry Naruto but I have things to do… see you tomorrow!" she said quickly and walked away.

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"Ow! OW! OW!" Naruto yelped in pain only to get knocked over the head by Sakura, "stop squirming Naruto!" she yelled and the boy stopped, "But Sakura-Chaaaan! It hurts!" he whined as she cleaned his small wounds all over his face and hands, the boy glared at the cat sitting in the cage, "Stupid cat! How many times did we have to catch it?" he asked the girl and yelped again as she tended to his scrapes, "I lost count but to be honest I feel bad for it, that fat lady is scary" she added, Naruto nodded and winced when she added some more rubbing alcohol; Sasuke sat down not too far away and silently ate his Dango while enjoying the humorous scene before him of Sakura trying to heal Naruto.

"Finally! All done!" she said and the boy got up, his face and hands had been scratched everywhere, "you done? We need to get Tiger back to his owner" Kakashi said and the three nodded.

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"All right! Road trip!" Naruto cheered as he looked around, Sakura was also excited while Sasuke remained silent, Naruto had whined continually at the Hokage to give them a real mission and succeeded, they were now escorting and protecting a bridge builder named Tazuna.

As they walked, Naruto continually babbled on about things to Sakura and arguing with the drunken old man named Tazuna while the other two didn't utter a word.

As they walked Sakura noticed a puddle on the ground…

'_A puddle? In the middle of the hot summer? Something's not right…'_ she pondered as something in the back of her mind alarmed her and she looked at her teacher to see him notice it too but he kept going as if nothing was wrong, _'hm… maybe it's nothing…'_ the girl thought.

'_**Danger!'**_ She heard someone hiss as she turned around to see two men wrap chains around Kakashi only to rip him apart!

"One little piggy" one of the men who murdered Kakashi chuckled and the two went after Naruto! "Two little piggies…" they said and Naruto yelled; before they could land a finger on Naruto Sasuke interfered and he managed to rid them of the chains but the two ninja didn't falter for a second as they dashed around one towards Naruto and the other towards Tazuna!

Sakura had to protect the assigned client!

"Step back sir!" she yelled and pushed the man out of the way, he fell back on his back as she stood in front of him, the ninja came towards her with deadly claws aimed at her being.

Sasuke saw this _'Sakura!'_ he thought and rushed in front of the girl, ready to try to defect the blow.

But a hand grabbed the ninja's neck before he could attack the kids, the other ninja hung limp, knocked out in his other hand, surprising everyone.

"Kakashi-sensei you're alive!" cheered Sakura and Sasuke frowned, _'humph! He had to butt in…'_ he thought.

Kakashi had used the art of transformation!

Naruto stood there, shocked "I'm sorry Naruto I should have been there to help you sooner before you were injured, it never occurred to me you would freeze up. Good job Sasuke, you too Sakura" he said, Sasuke walked up to his whiskered team mate "are you ok, you big chicken?" he asked with a smug smirk on his face; Naruto glared.

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They had finally reached the shore of the land of mist; Sakura glanced at Naruto, then at his bandaged hand… the boy had stabbed his own hand to get the poison out and at the same time swore an oath that somehow worried Sakura on how determined he was for someone to respect him…

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Out of the blue the boy flung a kunai at a bush to reveal nothing… he claimed it was a mouse and Sakura got pissed off for him scaring her like that so he earned a hit on the head but there was something actually in there, a rabbit… a white rabbit…

She watched as Sasuke scoffed at Naruto, who was trying to snap the bunny out of it, the poor thing was foaming from the mouth from almost being shish kebab by Naruto's Shuriken; she looked at Tazuna who was also shaking his head at the blonde's unpredictability but when her gaze shifted to Kakashi she saw him deep in thought, something was troubling him and then something else troubled her…

Her head started to throb…

"_**Threat, threat!"**_ that voice sounded off again in her mind, just as it said that she heard Kakashi's yell, "EVERYBODY TAKE COVER!"

She did as told and ducked, pulling Naruto down with her while doing so and just as they did a huge sword passed over their heads, embedding in a tree not too far away, she looked to see a man standing on the sword.

Naruto was about to attack but Kakashi stopped him, "Give me room, this opponent is different… I might have to face him… like this…" he said and lifted his headband, revealing his eye…

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Sakura's head hurt, she tried to force herself to concentrate on what they were saying but she couldn't… the voice… that voice… it growled and hissed, _**"Danger! Threat! Fight! CHA!"**_ It screeched but she stood her ground.

"Pleasant as this conversation has been… the time for talk is over…" the man named Zabuza said and made the first attack, disappearing from view as mist rolled in fast, "what with all this fog?" she heard Naruto yell but right now her instincts were going over the edge, Kakashi's voice a mere echo… she shivered but it wasn't from fear or from the cold, this kind of chill that ran up her spine was something unknown to her…

"There are eight targets…" Zabuza's voice echoed in the mist…

…And another in her mind, _**"Hissss! Threat! Attack!" **_it screeched but she didn't listen to its demands and focused on reality.

"Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the Subclavian artery, kidney and heart… so many choices what vital, vulnerable place shall I choose? Heh-heh!" the man's voice sadistic as the three people behind her shivered slightly in fear.

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It all happened so fast…

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It was like her consciousness was flickering on and off…

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First she remembers Kakashi-sensei being trapped in a water prison…

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The next thing she remembers is Naruto and Sasuke working together to help free their teacher…

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A loud boom.

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Zabuza's dead…

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And a masked ninja took Zabuza's corps away.

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Her figure wavered slightly, realising that the danger is over for now but the feeling of massive amounts of charka gathering in her forehead and the abrupt lack of it made her body exhausted for some reason… She shook her head in dizziness; Sasuke and Tazuna looked at her in question, noticing her small stumble, Kakashi fell down, passing out from using the Sharingan too much "Kakashi-sensei!" Shouted Naruto as the two boys went to help him.

Tazuna knew there was something wrong with the girl, "Sakura? What's wrong?" he asked and put a hand on her shoulder to steady her… Naruto and Sasuke heard Tazuna's question and looked back in concern.

She couldn't stay conscious anymore…

She passed out…

"Sakura!" Tazuna yelled and caught her, "Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled and ran to her, "What's wrong with her? She's not hurt is she?" he asked as Tazuna placed the girl next to Kakashi, Sasuke came over to her to see what's wrong with her and checked to see if she was injured, "She's fine, I think that she just fainted from either fear or it was simply too much to take with all that happened, she must have fainted from shock my guess is" the Uchiha said, Naruto sighed in relief.

"No…" Tazuna's reply caused both Naruto's and Sasuke's head to look up at him, "what are you talking about old man? She's not hurt so she should be fine" the blonde stated and Sasuke nodded but both of them felt that little nibble in their chest called worry when they took note that the man kept looking at the girl with dead seriousness, "No… she may not be wounded but she's not all right… something's wrong with her… I noticed this even before you started fighting that guy but I wasn't sure, that's why I didn't tell you" the man said; Naruto's expression took on a look of distress while Sasuke tried not to show the large amount of anxiety forming in his chest, "What do you mean?" the Uchiha asked, "While you were fighting I noticed her shiver, at first I thought it was from fear but when I looked at her face… I saw pain…" the man stated and the boys eyes widened and looked at her, "What do you mean? She was in pain? Why?" Naruto growled, "I don't know why even if I was next to her the whole time! What I do know by instincts is that something is seriously wrong… what is wrong? I don't know but it seemed like she was suffering mentally!" Tazuna explained and placed a hand on her forehead, "She's burning!" he exclaimed and now the worry came out full thrust from the girl's team-mates, "She's sick?" Naruto yelled, placing his hand on her forehead to see that indeed she was burning hot, "she needs medical attention" stated Sasuke and looked at Tazuna, "Can you carry Kakashi-sensei?" he asked and the man nodded, picking up their teacher; Sasuke picked up Sakura and carried her on his back, giving her a piggy back ride; Naruto scowled, "why should you carry her?" he complained and Sasuke rolled his eyes, "because being the klutz you are, you might do something stupid" the Uchiha stated and they walked off, "you're lucky Sakura-Chan is on your back or I would've kicked your sorry butt!" Naruto grumbled and shoved his hands in his pockets.

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"Oh… my head feels like someone shoved a kunai in it…" she muttered, rubbing her sore head and sat up, she looked around to find that she was in a house, "where am I? How long have I've been out?" she mumbled and looked down beside her…

She saw Naruto and Sasuke on either side of her flat bed, sleeping on the cold floor, "we have reached the land of waves and you've been out cold since yesterday" answered a voice and she looked to see the grey haired mask man who was partly leaning on the door, partly on his crutch; reading.

"What happened?" she asked and finally he looked up from his precious book to look at her, "you were sick, your fever has vanished thank goodness but we still don't know what caused it and what you really passed out from" Kakashi closed his book and looked at her, "is there something I should know?" he asked, narrowing his eye.

Sakura didn't want to mention the voice or anything for that matter, they were part of something she did not want anyone to know…

"No sensei." She replied; Kakashi knew there was something up with his pupil but he didn't push any further, "very well…" he said and went to leave the room.

Sakura looked at her hands and then at her two best friends.

"They never left your side you know…"

The girl looked up in surprise to see Kakashi looking behind his shoulder, the man turned around again, his back facing her "…not even for one second…" he muttered and proceeded to walk out, closing the door with a soft click.

They never left her side?

The girl smiled softly and got up, she took her pillow and placed it gently under Naruto's head; the whiskered boy didn't even stir… she then took her blanket and covered Sasuke with it; these actions a small token of gratitude _'Thanks boys…'_ she thought and left the room.

…

**Raven: I was simply too lazy to write whatever exactly happened in the original Naruto series, like the fight with Zabuza for example so I'll just explain it with very little detail. Anyway, to answer your unsaid questions, no, in this story Sakura is NOT schizophrenic, you will understand in later chapters, just so you know my updates after this chapter will be a little slow so I can think of the rest of the plot in my story.**

**Hope you enjoyed it! **

**Next: Chapter 4: something you'll never understand! **

**(I might change the title later if it's too big… -.-) **


	6. Chapter 5: My most precious person

**Raven: Yo, just so you guys know, Sakura may have on hell of a beautiful personality in this story but as you know, nobody's perfect, she will still keep some of her rude and bitchy side like in the original and as always, she's physically weak… but only at the moment. Don't worry; I'm not deeming her completely useless in missions like the original series, get ready for one hell of a surprise on what's going to happen.**

**Oh yeah… and I decided to change the title completely.**

**By the way, if there are any mistakes please tell WHERE they are because sometimes I can't find them. A simple: "there are quite a few mistakes here" doesn't help…**

…**.**

**Chapter 5: My most precious Person… **

"Today class, we're going to climb trees!" Kakashi announced and the three looked at him dumbstruck, "What could we possibly accomplish by doing that!" Sakura grunted, Kakashi smiled "Oh it's not just any tree climbing, this way you'll learn to have better control of your chakra; here's a demonstration" the man said and climbed the tree with only his feet touching the wood…

"Whoa…!" Naruto gasped, "Just concentrate all of your charka in your feet and use that energy to keep yourself on the tree, when you have full control of your charka, something like this would be a kiddie game" he stated and embedded three kunai on the ground in front of them, "Use the kunai to mark on how high you can go, good luck" he said.

Naruto grinned and picked up the kunai, "this'll be a piece of cake!" he jeered and Kakashi sighed, "enough talk and choose your tree to climb!" the masked man ordered and the three ran at the trees, "Here goes nothing!" Naruto yelled and took his first step but fell ungracefully on his back a moment later… "OW! OW! OW!" he yelped and held his head in pain…

Sasuke had managed to climb halfway up the tree but he slipped and fell back down, landing gracefully.

'_Crap! Use too much charka and it compels me, I use too little and I'll end up like the Dobe…'_ he thought and narrowed his eyes, determined to get up on that tree!

But a voice made them all pause.

"It's easier than I thought!"

They all looked to see Sakura sitting on a high tree.

"Sakura-Chan?" Naruto gapped as she grinned down at them, "well… now we all know who has the best charka control, your young lady here" Kakashi announced and Naruto cheered, "Amazing Sakura-Chan! That's what I expected from the woman of my dreams!" he yelled.

But froze when he realized what he said… he slapped his hand over his mouth, eyes widening.

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An awkward silence fell upon everyone.

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Naruto saw Sakura stare at him with an unreadable expression and his heart raced in worry, _'oh no! Stupid, Stupid! Now that she knows what will she say? Our friendship? Oh Kami… please don't let her hate me! Now it's going to be weird!'_ Naruto yelled in his mind and at that moment he really wanted to jump off a cliff…

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Kakashi cleared his throat to lift the tense atmosphere, "Anyway, let Sakura's success be a lesson for you two, her charka control is admittedly better, meaning… she's one step closer to becoming Hokage…" the man explained and looked at Naruto, winning the boy's attention "…and I guess the Uchiha clan's strength in chakra control might be proved a big disappointment" he finished and Sasuke glared at his teacher, "Kakashi-sensei are you out of your mind?" she yelled, pointing at him, "It's bad enough that one of them hate me! Don't push it!" she growled and jumped down; Sasuke glanced at her, knowing she was talking about him, _'I don't hate you Sakura, I was just disappointed in what you had said'_ he thought, _'if she thinks I hate her, I better talk to her later about this…'_ the boy scratched his the back of his head in a thoughtful gesture and sighed through his nose.

Kakashi thought for a second as he watched the young teens try to climb the trees…

'_On the other hand… Naruto and Sasuke hide such large unexploited charka reserves that Sakura's nothing compared to them… any elite ninja can sense the amount of charka they have from a mile away… I can also sense the faint kyubi charka within Naruto…'_ he thought.

But Kakashi then narrowed his eye at the girl, _'However… there is something up with her… I can sense it… a charka slightly different from the rest of her energy coming from her… It's so faint that if you don't concentrate hard you won't be able to sense it… but it's there… it's suppressed… something about it unnerves me…' _he thought and watched her as she jumped from tree to tree to somehow build up her stamina…

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Naruto looked at the girl lying at the bottom of the tree, trying to catch her breath; _'is it safe to talk to her even after what I said?' _he thought and after a moment's hesitation, decided to risk it…

He walked towards the pinkette and sat next to her, silent for a bit; his stomach twisted in nervousness, "um… Sakura-Chan…?" he asked and the girl looked at him, "yes Naruto?" she asked and he twiddled with his shirt, his eyes shifting from her to the ground and back… "Are we… still friends?" he mumbled and the girl sat up, "of course we are, why wouldn't we be?" she replied and the boy sighed, "Even after what I blurted out?" he asked and the girl cleared her throat.

"Naruto what you said doesn't matter, it won't ruin our friendship so don't worry" the girl explained and wiped some sweat off of her brow, too tired to notice his features saddening…

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What she said was meant to make him feel better but her whiskered friend took it the other way around…

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His blue eyes dropped to the ground beside him, _'My feelings don't matter to you Sakura-Chan…?'_ he thought sadly, a large pang of hurt forming in the middle of his chest…

His eyes brimmed with saltwater slightly but he sucked it up and replaced it with a smile, "r-right, uh… y-you think you can give me some tips on how to climb the tree?" he stuttered and the girl nodded, telling him what to do and he quickly got up and ran towards the trees, taking on much more force than he needed to…

He was upset and he decided to let it out on training…

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Kakashi had told Sakura to guard Tazuna while the boys were still practicing; she was exhausted but wanted to continue training, the man had explained to her in a whisper that she was unconsciously rubbing it in Sasuke and Naruto's faces that she can climb trees and they can't, so grudgingly, she agreed and left.

In truth Kakashi had noticed Naruto's dilemma even if he didn't hear the entire conversation; he thought it was best for the girl to leave, _'I can't believe it took one simple sentence to hurt the boy without her even realising it… I can't imagine how much mental wounds she could cause if she ever intended to do something like that on purpose… Sakura really has a strong hold on both of them, that's good... but it's also really bad… if anything ever happened to her… even I don't know what will happen to them… they all have a very strong bond between them and that's the worst thing if you ever become a ninja… being a ninja means sacrifice and death…'_

Kakashi sighed deeply… remembering the deep depression that fell upon his heart when his beloved friends and team mates died; he had reached the boundary of almost committing suicide once… even if the thought of that disgusted him right now… if it weren't for the Hokage then he would have not been here… he doesn't remember how he got over it…

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Wait…

He never did…

They say time heals all wounds…

He highly disagrees with that…

The pain never goes away… it only numbs in time…

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Sasuke noticed Naruto come on fast, he was halfway towards his level and the Uchiha grunted in frustration.

But he paused when he saw Naruto run towards the tree again, using too much force and got shot off the tree, "Crap!" his whiskered rival (friend) cursed loudly and Sasuke took a look at his features; eyes furrowed and a deep frown adorned his face, his ocean blue hues holding rejection; Sasuke remembered a similar expression that day when they went to get ice cream with Sakura.

Naruto was like this ever since that conversation the two had, it didn't look like they had a fight… but whatever Sakura said made Naruto upset; Sasuke narrowed his eyes in thought…

'…_but… no way would Sakura say something to hurt the Dobe…'_

He then remembered the little talk they had that made him mad at her, _'not purposely anyway…'_ he grunted and walked over to the boy.

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Naruto looked like he was concentrating and was about to run over to the tree again but Sasuke interfered, "Hey Naruto!" he shouted, causing the blonde to loose his concentration and fall on his face; he got up and glared at the raven boy, "Why you little…! You're breaking my concentration! STOP BOTHERING ME!" he yelled at Sasuke; the Uchiha boy cringed slightly, _'ouch… whatever she said made him __**really**__ upset…'_ he thought; Naruto huffed and puffed out a breath, "what? What do you want?" the blonde grumbled, "Uh… what…What did Sakura tell you?" he asked and Naruto looked down for a second but he shot his head back up at him, "that's none of your business!" the blue eyed blond growled and the two remained silent for a moment…

Sasuke turned around and walked over to his tree…

"You know, I'm sure that she didn't mean to hurt you purposely, she might have not even realised that she did. You just might have taken whatever she said the wrong way…" the Uchiha finished and continued training, leaving Naruto to his thoughts…

'_I… I __**guess**__ you're right Sasuke…'_ The blonde sighed and tried to take things on the positive side like he had always done.

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"Teme?" Naruto finally spoke after five minutes and Sasuke glanced at him, "yeah?"

"Thanks… for the pep talk" he smiled and the Uchiha smirked, "hm… you're welcome… but thanking me isn't going to get you any closer to my level, Dobe" he stated as a matter of fact and Naruto looked up at the lines on the tree, he still had halfway until he can reach him; The blonde got up and wiped his cheek free of dirt, "Ha! I'll beat you in no time Teme! Believe it!" he grinned and Sasuke scoffed, "I'll believe it when I see it, Dobe!" he shot back and they continued their harsh exercise.

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Sakura and her team were at Tazuna's house eating dinner; she was very annoyed…

Naruto and Sasuke were eating like pigs and then puked all over the floor, the first time she thought they were going to stop… however the second time they hurled made her loose her temper, "Stop eating if you're going to throw up again, you're making me want to throw up too!" she yelled but they didn't listen to her and wanted to eat more, she settled for hitting both of them over the head.

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A picture caught Sakura's eye… "Why is that picture ripped? Inari had been staring at it during the whole meal, I think someone ripped it purposely" Sakura stated, curious about this missing man in the picture.

"It was a picture of his father…" Tsunami explained and Inari had for some reason abruptly got up and left the kitchen…

Sakura had asked what was wrong and Tazuna started explaining about who and what happened to his father and the town…

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When Sakura heard the story, the girl was shocked…

Naruto had gotten up and left, determined to prove that there were still heroes in the world.

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Sasuke walked along the forest and spotted Naruto, a girl walking away from him; she looked somehow suspicious… he just couldn't put his finger on it…

Sasuke looked back at Naruto and saw him sitting on the ground with his arms crossed… shaking his head in confusion.

"Jeez… people today are so weird!" Naruto grumbled and Sasuke walked up to him, hands shoved in his pockets, "have you been flirting? It's shocking to not see a huge bump on your head from the girl hitting you" the Uchiha smirked and Naruto cringed, "EW, You idiot! I had passed out last night and I happened to be sleeping on these healing weeds, she needed those and we started a conversation until you showed up!" Naruto huffed and flushed in embarrassment, "Teme… that girl was really a guy!" he grumbled and Sasuke looked at him with a look that said 'what-the-hell?'

An awkward silence passed over the two once more…

"Let's get back to training" stated the raven boy hastily "Good plan!" said Naruto and they rushed back on the trees…

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Birds fluttered by as Kakashi and Sakura walked along the forest floor, "Where did those two go? Sasuke-kun said he would go for a walk and he disappeared too!" Sakura exclaimed but suddenly a kunai dropped from above and landed on the ground between Kakashi and Sakura, they looked up to see Naruto on the top, laying down on a branch…

"What do you guys have to say about that huh? Look at how high I climbed!" they heard him shout, "That's great Naruto! Good job!" the pinkette cheered and Kakashi smiled, the boy went to get up but he stumbled…

Anxiousness raced in the girl's heart.

"No! I don't have enough strength!" Kakashi yelled and Sakura ran up the tree to help him but being so high up she had no time…

"Naruto!" she shouted and then paused halfway up when she saw him hang upside down…

his feet keeping him from falling…

a grin plastered on his face…

"You fell for it!" he laughed.

The girl fumed, "you idiot! Give me a heart attack why don't you?" she yelled.

The boy was about to reply but he lost his concentration and slipped off…

"AAAAHHHHH!" Naruto screamed.

Kakashi's eye widened "oh no!" he yelled but just as Naruto slipped a hand grabbed his foot…

It was Sasuke…

Sakura sighed in relief and climbed all the way up to the branch the boys were on crossing her arms, she leaned over, "Thank Kami Sasuke-kun was there or you would have been turned into a pancake Naruto!" she scolded.

"You've got to have to keep full control of your charka at all times… you're such a loser" Sasuke stated; his face plastering on a bored expression; Naruto scowled.

Just as those words left Sasuke's mouth he slipped off too,

"UGH!" Sasuke Yelled,

"AAAAHHHHH!" Naruto screamed out again as both fell.

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But a hand grabbed Sasuke's foot, the Uchiha boy was still holding onto Naruto so they were both saved, they looked to see Sakura holding both of them from falling, they sighed in relief; sweat trickled down her brow, "You guys are heavy!" the girl grunted, holding the boy's foot with both hands.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and smirked, "Who's the loser now?" he taunted and the Uchiha growled, "You say one more word and I will not hesitate to drop you, you forgot who's keeping you from falling" the boy threatened.

"Yeah… I am! Now do something! I don't think I can stay like this much longer!" Sakura yelled, struggling to keep her charka steady.

Kakashi limped just under them, "Naruto! Swing left and right to take hold of that branch close by!" he shouted and the boy did just that, he finally grasped the branch and climbed on, Sasuke let go of him; Sakura struggled with the raven boy and swung him left and right for him to grasp another branch, he flipped in the air and managed to take hold of it, "Ha! Thanks Sakura-Chan!" Naruto said as he managed to stand on the thick part of the branch, "Yeah… thanks…" Sasuke muttered and the girl gave a tired smile, "You're welcome Sasuke-kun and Naruto-OH!" she went to walk up on top of the branch but her charka depleted down and she lost her footing.

She slipped off the branch…

…And pummelled towards the ground, "AAAAHHHHH!" She screamed as gravity played its roll…

"Sakura-Chan!"

"Sakura!" Sasuke yelled and tried to reach her hand as she fell, their hands past by and inch as she quickly fell towards the ground…

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None of the two could reach her in time…

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She closed her eyes and waited for the feeling of hard land crushing her bones…

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The wind was forced out of her as she fell on something hard… but she didn't feel any immense pain…

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Sakura cracked an eye open to see a mask, "Kakashi-sensei?" she asked, the man gave an eye crinkle, "that's me!" he smiled but grunted in slight pain…

Kakashi had caught Sakura but the force of her fall and his weak state caused him to fall on the ground.

The girl got off his lap, "are you alright sensei?" she asked worryingly as the two boys climbed down the trees, "I'll live…" the teacher groaned as she helped him get up, "Thank you for saving me" she added and the man nodded, picking up his crutches and leaned on them again; suddenly hands took hold of the girl's arms and she was turned around against her will, "Are you alright Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked and she nodded, the boy let go and sighed in relief, "Good catch sensei" the blonde thanked, Sasuke nodded at Kakashi and the man nodded back.

Sakura rolled her eyes; "You guys are such worry warts!" she scoffed.

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Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna were leaving for the bridge… Naruto was to stay; the poor boy was exhausted so they decided to let him sleep in.

As they walk Sasuke was trying to find words to talk to the girl beside him about that incident…

"Um… Sakura…" He said, earning the girl's attention, "listen… about that day I yelled at you…" he muttered; Sakura looked down "Yeah… I make you sick… you probably hate me, right? I should apol-" Sakura cut off mid sentence at the boy's sigh, "No, I don't-" Sasuke was cut off by Tazuna's yell…

"What the hell…!" the old man yelled, they all saw corps of Tazuna's co-workers lying on the floor…

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Naruto had saved Inari and his mother and defeated the two samurai…

He scratched the back of his head "uh…listen… I wanted to apologize for calling you a cry-baby… I didn't mean it alright?" the blond said and ruffled the boy's hair, "You're a big and strong boy!" he grinned but his smile faltered when tears steamed down Inari's face once more, "o-oh no! I promised myself I wouldn't cry anymore… now you'll start making fun of me again!" Inari cried and Naruto looked down, memories flashing through his mind…

'"_Nah, don't worry about it, you looked really hungry anyway, I'm more than happy to help my friend" Sakura-Chan said and I froze… "Friend? You want to be my friend?" I gasped, my eyes widening, "Of course silly! I decided that the moment I met you!" she smiled; I lowered my head once more, my bangs shadowing my eyes as something wet trailed down my face… _

_I hugged her tightly, "You don't know how long I've waited for someone to say that!" I sobbed loudly, my heart crying out in happiness.'_

'_I looked at my friend and rival to see them handing out their ice cream to me. Sakura smiled "here Naruto, don't pay attention to that mean person, you can have mine" she said, "yeah, here Dobe… just to prove that vanilla is better than cherry" said Sasuke as he handed his own to me... It was at that moment I had never felt more grateful to have these two beside me, unshed tears brimmed in my eyes as I grinned from ear to ear but didn't take the ice creams, "thank you Sakura-Chan…" I whispered with a huge grin on my face, "…thanks teme…" I added and the Uchiha nodded back. _

"…_But I wasn't that hungry for ice cream anyway" I finished, the pink and raven haired kids looked at each other and dropped their sweets on the ground, "come to think of it, neither were we, I lost my appetite" Said Sakura, "I don't like sweets anyway" mumbled Sasuke as he shoved his hands in his pockets; I couldn't hold it in anymore, the tears escaped and streamed down my face…'_

'"_For him I have nothing but respect! He's an excellent student!' Iruka-sensei's words rang through the forest as I hid from Mizuki, "That boy is no longer your demon fox! He's a citizen of the Konohagakure village! Uzumaki Naruto!" His yell echoed as water blurred my vision…' _

Naruto came back to reality to see Inari staring at him in question, he placed his hands behind his head and smiled, "It's Ok to cry… when you're happy" the blonde grinned and turned to the samurai... "If they attacked here… then that means they'll attack the bridge too! I'm sure you can handle the situation right?" he asked and the black haired boy nodded "Hah! I guess becoming a hero needs a lot of work!" Naruto shouted as he ran into the forest.

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Mist surrounded them… Zabuza and Haku had appeared…

Sakura held her head once more… _**"Threat! Kill! Attack! CHA!"**_ That voice screeched in her mind…

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Before she knew it the masked kid and Sasuke had already started their fight…

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But before she could comprehend anything… Sasuke was surrounded by ice mirrors.

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Her head throbbed as she watched Sasuke being attacked by thousands of needles at the same time, _**"NO! Kill threat! Protect precious person! Punish Threat! Attack!"**_ it yelled and hissed; she had managed to throw a kunai at the masked boy but he caught it with ease…

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Naruto had appeared before she knew it and things took the turn for the worst…

The mist rolled in fast and she can barely see Kakashi who was just meters away, he had given her the order to protect Tazuna at all costs…

She heard the sound of kunai clashing and Jutsus firing and Naruto and Sasuke's screams of pain…

It was then that Sakura for the first time felt utterly useless… the pain in her forehead and that voice screeching like a banshee wasn't helping in the least…

She fell on her knees…

"Sakura are you alright?" Tazuna leaned down to help the girl but she gasped in pain…

Something flashed before her eyes…

It was as if her vision was zooming in fast towards Naruto and Sasuke; she saw them covered in flesh wounds, Naruto was on the floor and Sasuke was trying to fend off the boy… suddenly needles shot towards Naruto… and Sasuke jumped in front of him…

"_**NOOO! PROTECT THEM! PROTECT! PROTECT NARUTO AND SASUKE!"**_ It screamed as power surged through her being… her body shook, needing to run…

"_**MOVE!" **_it screamed again and she shot off the ground without second thought, "Sakura?" Tazuna cried out but she kept running, his voice a mere echo.

Zabuza saw this and went to attack but Kakashi blocked, "Sakura what are you doing? Sakura!" Kakashi yelled after her but she ignored them, running towards the mirrors…

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Haku picked up more needles, "Time to finish this!" he yelled and zipped towards Naruto; Sasuke's now red eyes widened, _'No! He'll hit Naruto! I have to get there first!'_ he thought as he raced towards the blonde…

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He managed to get in front of Naruto.

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But an unknown force pushed him harshly aside…

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Naruto grunted in pain and turned to see Sasuke on the floor a few meters away.

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Drip…

Drip…

Drip…

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The sound of water droplets rang in his ears… he looked beside him to see large amounts of blood dripping down…

If Sasuke was ok just a few meters away...

And Kakashi was fighting Zabuza…

Who…?

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Sasuke grunted as he struggled to get up…

Who pushed him?

The masked kid named Haku couldn't have done it or it would have been accompanied by immense pain…

Naruto wasn't able to push him aside…

Kakashi was busy with Zabuza…

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The two boys froze…

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They slowly looked up to see Sakura…

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And their hearts stopped…

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Drip…

Drop…

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Haku had shoved all of the needles he held in Sakura.

He held three main ones in her gut…

Her blood splattered all over the ground and some on Naruto.

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Their pupils dilated…

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Time froze for a second.

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"S-Sakura…Chan…" Naruto managed to stutter out; his heart squeezing in his chest as he looked at her with wide eyes… she looked back at him, a smile on her bloody lips while trails of crimson stained her chin, "H-hey… why are you looking at me like that?" she asked and her gaze shifted to Sasuke who had the same exact expression Naruto had.

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Everything was silent for a second…

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Sasuke was the first to get out of shock, "GET AWAY FROM HER!" he yelled and attacked Haku who retreated back into his mirrors; The Uchiha boy looked back at Sakura, the blood staining her skin… the pain but relief in her eyes… it was too much to bare to see her like that…

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The girl wavered and fell back; Naruto swiftly caught her, one hand under her head and the other around her waist; the two kneeled on each side of her…

"W-Why did you…? Why Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled.

She saw that look in their eyes…

Haku saw it too.

Pain, shock and fear…

Haku knew that fear… the fear of your precious person leaving you…

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"I heard you talking about dreams earlier… remember mine?" she gasped as she swallowed her own blood; the needles were cutting her oxygen…

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Sasuke felt like his air being cut short and his breath hitched, a cold chill crawled its way into his heart… that horrible feeling came back… the feeling he had when his clan died… only worse…

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Naruto… he didn't know what to think… his first and best friend… was dying in his arms… and he couldn't help her…

His being froze and his heart rate quickened frantically.

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The girl looked at Sasuke… "Take this as an apology… for… making you… sick… Sasuke…Kun…" she whispered and her gaze shifted to the blonde…

"Naruto… I did it… because I had to… that meanie can't just… hurt my… boys… my family… like that…" she grinned… that memory when they first met flashing in his mind.

"_**I had to; those meanies can't just bully someone like that!"**_

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That grin on her bloody face broke their hearts…

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Naruto shut his eyes tight, holding the girl in his arms like she would disappear any second…

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Sasuke lowered his head, his hair covering his onyx hues but since Sakura was lying down she could see his face perfectly…

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Agony…

That's what they felt right now…

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She felt consciousness slipping away…

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"My dream… is… protect… my precious people… I guess… I fulfilled it…" she sighed and closed her eyes, a smile adorned her face.

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Her body went limp…

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Drip…

Drip…

Drip…

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Saltwater droplets fell on her face…

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It was then that Haku finally spoke "She got in the way without even trying to block the blow… she sacrificed her life for yours… she was a kunoichi that deserved full respect, in order to protect her precious ones she still jumped in the way even if she fully knew she would die." Haku stated.

"Shut up…" Naruto whispered… his voice dripping with venom…

Sasuke's being shook…

"Is this the first you loose someone precious to you…? Now you know that that's the way of the Shinobi…"

'_You were my best friend Sakura-Chan…'_ Naruto squeezed his eyelids shut…

"_**Well… you don't look like a monster, I wonder what the others see besides a dirty little boy in front of me"**_

'_You helped me in a way nobody could have…' _Sasuke thought…

"_**I want you to cry"**_

'_You were my most precious person too…' _Naruto opened his eyes…

"_**Silly Naruto, the things someone does for their friend doesn't have a payment, if they're a true friend they don't do it because they want something in return, they do it because they want their friend to be happy and that's the only reward they would ever want from them"**_

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"You were the only family I had left…"

The two whispered out loud at the same time… in sync… making Haku cringe under his mask… the tone they used caused a chill to run up his spine…

'_But for what you've just done…'_ Sasuke opened his eyes as well…

"_**Sasuke, I know that the pain you feel is unbearable, I may not know how much but what I do know is that you're not alone Sasuke, Naruto and I are here for you, your friends are here!"**_

'_I'll never forgive you!' _Naruto's whiskers blackened and his eyes darkened…

"_**My name is Haruno Sakura and my favorite things are puppies, flowers… Playing pranks with Naruto, I especially like when Naruto, Sasuke-kun and I go and have lunch all together! My dream one day… is to become a strong Kunoichi and protect my precious ones!" **_

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Both boys slowly felt their consciousness slipping away as well…

Their colourful eyesight replaced by red…

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They turned around and looked at Haku; the masked boy's spine froze at the cold glares they gave him…

What made him freeze wasn't their stance or the amount of charka circling around them…

No…

What made him freeze was their eyes…

Red… evil eyes… glared into his soul…

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"I WILL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!"

…

**Raven: O-O Should I continue the story? Or should Sakura actually die and finish it with a prologue? I'll think about it… *evil grin***

**Anyway to answer your OTHER unsaid question, no that voice isn't a demon either. I'm just saying because in other stories I've ever read on here, Her Inner voice is either a demon like Naruto's or she's schizophrenic… I tell you she's none of these… that voice is completely something else and you'll have to read to find out!**

**It's funny how much I hate it when I read a good story and it has cliff-hangers but I love it when I add them to my own story so the readers can guess what's going to happen next! LoLz!**


	7. Chapter 6: Permanent

**Raven: I kinda feel really emotional these past few days and decided to write this chapter, don't worry it's not that dramatic… or is it?**

**Just so you know this isn't couple-ish fluff… its pure friendship so don't get any ideas of Sasusaku or Narusaku yet ok?**

**You see, this is why I claimed the story hurt/comfort.**

**P.S. Thank you for all the reviews! I love you guys! You're awesome!**

…**..**

'_Will you think that you're all alone? _

_When no one's there to hold your hand?_

_And all you know seems so far away, _

_And everything is temporary, _

_Rest your head,_

_I'm permanent…'_

_-David Cook_

…

Chapter 6: Permanent

The power that surged around them was so strong it was actually visible! Red chakra flew around, somehow making Haku's eyes sting as if someone threw pepper in them; the red chakra was embedding from the blonde… But not only that… Even if the Uchiha didn't have that sort of energy, his aura and bloodlust was as bone chilling as the red chakra around Naruto!

Naruto stood unmoving…

Sasuke was first to attacked; Haku dodged but was suddenly on the floor!

He held his bleeding side and staggered on his feet but was punched in the jaw… hard…

Sasuke kept throwing punches and kicks at Haku like he was some kind of training doll, he had no time to react as he received ever single blow from the Uchiha, all the while Sasuke yelled and screamed in anger and despair as he beat the masked boy to a bloody pulp…

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Tears glimmered in the little sunlight as they flew around like rain droplets…

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'_I have to knock him out quickly or he'll kill me!'_ Haku thought as he struggled to move his muscles from the kunai and the beating being received from Sasuke…

Before the raven boy could land the last blow to kill him, Haku escaped into his mirrors and decided on a surprise attack; with the last of his strength, he shot needles at Sasuke's pressure points to temporarily paralyze him and succeeded; Sasuke couldn't move anymore and fell ungracefully on the ground, the boy was conscious but he couldn't even move his head…

Haku panted, blood and sweat trickling down his brow '_one down… the other to go…' _but when the masked boy looked to see Naruto he was shocked… his wounds had completely healed!

Naruto's tear stained face took on a fierce, animalistic feature and he gave off an inhuman growl...

Then… he attacked!

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"_**Sakura… **_

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_**.**_

_**.**_

_**Sakura! **_

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_**.**_

_**SAKURA!"**_ A voice yelled and she snapped her eyes open revealing darkness…

She sat up, holding her head "where am I?" she groaned and looked around to see nothing… nothing but blackness… "Hello…?" her voice echoed but no reply…

She looked down at her hands to see that her skin was glowing white…

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"_**Get up."**_ the girl looked up to see…

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Herself…

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'_Inner Sakura'_ was written in kanji on the girl's forehead.

The only other difference between her and her 'other self' was that the doppelganger's hair was a much lighter shade of pink and her eyes had no iris or pupil... a chill ran up her spine when she looked into that blank stare…

'_Inner Sakura's'_ eyes narrowed.

"_**Get up!"**_ her doppelganger repeated, standing tall.

"_Sakura! Stay with us!"_ a familiar voice echoed across the abyss…

Sakura struggled but managed to stand on the pitch black floor, "What-" she started but was cut off, _**"they need you"**_ Inner Sakura cut off and pulled on Sakura's arm, they walked up to a small pool of white water…

"_Sakura-Chan! Please!"_ another voice screamed.

"_**Now wake up!"**_ she yelled and pushed Sakura into the pool, with a splash Sakura fell in the white water and the light blinded her…

"_Wake up DAMN IT!"_

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Naruto had defeated Haku… The blonde had changed the man's heart and Zabuza killed Gato…

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Zabuza and Haku had died…

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Kakashi turned to Naruto, realising that despite of their victory and that the bridge was saved from the thugs thanks to Inari and the villagers, the boy wore a look that unnerved him…

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Snow flakes fell from the sky…

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"Naruto… what is it?" asked the masked man but the boy didn't answer; Kakashi just then remembered his other pupils…

"Naruto… where's Sasuke and Sakura?" he asked but before the boy could even react a shout was heard from behind…

"Kakashi sir!" Tazuna yelled and they rushed towards the old man…

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Kakashi was met with a shocking sight…

"Sakura…" the man clenched his fists, "…foolish girl…!" he whispered harshly as he stared at her pale form.

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Sasuke slowly got up on his knees… the effects wearing off…

The two men looked at the boys… Sasuke and Naruto had the same exact expression on…

Their faces were emotionless and their eyes hollow…

Kakashi had never seen such an expression on them… even on Sasuke…

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There was silence…

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Tazuna shed a few tears for the girl…

Kakashi leaned down and placed his hand over her jugular vein to see any signs of life in her…

And his eyes widened.

"She's alive! But the needles had cut off her air supply!" the grey haired man exclaimed.

Naruto's and Sasuke's eyes widened and their heads shot around to look at Kakashi, "She has a pulse but she's not breathing! If we don't do something right now we'll loose her!" Kakashi fell on his knees and quickly but carefully started to remove the needles around her chest and neck, he then preformed a small medical Jutsu he knew on the gut wound to stop the bleeding, it wasn't much but it helped.

Naruto and Sasuke rushed towards his side, "I need your help! Here! I'll push some air out of her lungs and you two need to perform CPR to give her oxygen! Hold her nose while doing so!" Kakashi ordered and the two boys kneeled beside the girl…

Kakashi placed both hands on her chest and started pushing down to pump air out of her, "Do it!" Kakashi demanded; Naruto held her nose as he was told to and leaned down…

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Placing his lips on hers, he blew air into her lungs…

Kakashi pushed again and this time Sasuke leaned down and placed his lips on hers to give her oxygen…

Kakashi checked her pulse… "Her pulse is weakening! Keep going!"

"Sakura! Stay with us!" the man shouted and continued the procedure, "Wake up…" Sasuke whispered; Kakashi checked her pulse again and cursed…

Naruto's eyes started to sting… "Sakura-Chan! Please!" he screamed and gave her more oxygen…

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Their hearts raced… but when she didn't respond Sasuke couldn't take it anymore…

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"Wake up DAMN IT!" He yelled at the top of his lungs and punched her chest…

Forcing the respiratory system and heart to start working again.

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Sakura's body arched and her eyes snapped open; taking in a sharp breath, gulping down air loudly, coughing and hacking…

Her eyes shifted to the people over her, Kakashi sighed in relief…

Two familiar faces stained with tears and scrapes, smiled in relief.

"Thank Kami!" Naruto laughed and sobbed at the same time in happiness as he abruptly hugged the girl; she groaned in pain from all the needles still in her limbs and the boy's weight but managed to sit up with the blonde's help.

She was shocked to feel a second pair of arms wrap around her along with Naruto's…

They were Sasuke's arms…

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When she regained her breath she managed to speak, "Ow... what… happened…?" she panted…

The boys didn't answer; they just embraced her tightly…

"Guys? What are you-?" Sakura started but Kakashi silenced her, "Let them be Sakura… I'll explain to you later." was all her teacher said and gave an eye crinkle. Sakura sighed, letting the two lean on her and glanced at each of them; even if both of their eyes were closed she could still see that they were red and puffy from crying… but their faces were calm, a small smile on their lips.

The three remained like that as Tazuna and Kakashi stared at the team, _'their bond really is something else…'_ Kakashi thought and Tazuna smiled at the scene before him of the two distressed boys embracing their comrade.

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Kakashi had picked up the wounded girl bridal style and was carrying her to Tazuna's house.

Naruto and Sasuke remained silent the whole way; a deep frown etched on their faces as they walked beside the teacher and the girl, none of them had said anything and that unnerved Sakura.

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Kakashi had treated her wounds and Tsunami changed the girl's clothes; she was now sitting on her bed.

"Jeez I look like a mummy…" Sakura muttered and looked at her attire; the pinkette wore a short sleeve dark blue dress. Her arms, legs and mainly torso were covered in bandages, a few Band-aids on her cheeks.

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The orange rays of the sun spilled in from the window, bathing the room in yellow and orange light… signalling sunset.

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The door opened and the girl looked up to see Sasuke and Naruto step inside; Sakura smiled brightly, "hey guys!" She chirped but none of them replied, only walked up and stopped beside her bed…

Even Naruto didn't crack a smile…

Their stature was tense as they stared at the floor, "Boys?" she asked in concern but flinched when they finally looked at her…

Hard glares were present on their faces.

"Sakura… Don't you **ever** do that again!" Sasuke growled; Sakura looked at them in question, "What-" she started but was cut off, "You should have listened to Kakashi-sensei and stayed with Tazuna!" Naruto yelled and Sakura narrowed her eyes, "If I did then you or Sasuke-kun would have gotten hurt instead!" she growled and glared right back "Then you should have let us! You would have died because of your idiotic action! It was our fight! What happens to us isn't any of your business!" the Uchiha shouted and Sakura's eyes flared up in fury.

She abruptly threw off the covers and stood, ignoring the pain of her wounds and glared into the raven boy's eyes, "THE HELL IT AIN'T!" she screamed in his face, pupils dilated; this time Naruto growled and grabbed her shoulders tightly, forcing her to look at him in the eye "DON'T YOU GET IT? YOU HAVE TO STAY SAFE!" he yelled rather loudly.

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Sakura was sure the whole house can hear their shouts, probably the entire village.

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"What the hell? Danger is always around the corner! We risk our lives every day from now on! It's part of being a ninja! One day I'll probably die and there's nothing you can do about it!" she yelled back and shook the boy off of her; Naruto's hair shadowed his eyes…

"Then quit…" Sasuke hissed.

Sakura gasped in shock…

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"Did you just tell me… to… quit?" she asked, really hoping she didn't hear right…

The Uchiha lifted his head and looked at her dead in the eye, telling her he wasn't joking…

"Yes, you're not fit to be a ninja" he stated…

Sakura looked at the blonde to see him stare at her with a grim look, "Not you too Naruto!" she shouted… her whiskered friend looked down.

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Sakura's heart broke… they didn't want her to be on the team anymore…?

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Sasuke stepped up an inch away from her, "Quit." He said sternly…

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A slap echoed in the silent room…

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Naruto's eyes widened as he gave a barely audible gasp…

The raven haired boy looked back at her in shock, his cheek hurt…

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She had slapped him…

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Sakura lowered her hand and looked up at both of them, a fierce glare piercing their skulls.

"Sasuke… what you just said… you… you make me sick…" she whispered harshly and his eyes widened; that memory flashing in his mind of that day he had said the exact same thing to her...

"_**Sakura… what you just said… you make me sick!"**_

"Get out…" she spat and her gaze shifted to Naruto, the boy flinched at her cold stare.

"Both of you… Get. Out." The girl ordered and harshly pushed the two away from her; the two dejected boys slowly walked towards the door, Sakura's gaze followed them and she saw Kakashi standing in the doorway, he had heard the entire conversation.

Kakashi saw the look on the Uchiha boy…

Naruto remained silent…

"You know what?" Sakura started; the boys paused in their steps but didn't turn around, "Kakashi-sensei…" she continued and the teacher looked at her, "yes Sakura?" he murmured and the girl took on a stony façade…

"I quit team seven, clearly my team mates Uchiha and Uzumaki don't want me here… However, I will remain a ninja… resign me on another team" she said.

The man looked at the two in front of him to see a hurt look cross their faces; Sasuke's eyes narrowed in sadness and he walked out the door quickly.

Naruto bit his bottom lip and clenched his fists; then he walked out as well…

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Kakashi sighed through his nose and closed his eye, "Are you sure you want to quit the team Sakura?" he asked.

The girl didn't reply…

"You shouldn't quit if you don't want to" the masked ninja stated as he walked over to the pinkette, "Sasuke and Naruto don't want me in the team, so why should I stay? You heard everything!" she clenched her fists and sat down on the bed, Kakashi sat next to her, "They **do** want you in the team, they just don't want you to get hurt." He said and the girl narrowed her eyes, "But that's the way of the Shinobi! Ninja get hurt everyday! They can't seriously expect me to not get hurt if I'm a ninja!" she exclaimed and Kakashi nodded, "That's why Sasuke told you to quit" the man stated; Sakura scoffed, "Yeah right, that jerk said I wasn't fit to be a ninja and that stupid moron Naruto agreed on top of that! What they said hurt me sensei… it really did and they knew it… I hate them for that!" she growled but then huffed, "But now I don't expect them to care…" she sighed in frustration and Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder…

"That's the problem" he muttered and the girl looked at him in question, the man sighed; "They care too much" he interpreted…

"What?" Sakura was confused…

"Try to understand what they went through Sakura; you almost died… their friend since very young. How would you react if one of them almost died saving you?" her teacher asked; Sakura looked down…

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"I… I don't know…" she confessed, "…But that's no excuse to tell me I'm not fit to be a ninja! I wouldn't have told them to give up their lifelong dream! It's like telling Naruto to give up on reaching his goal to become Hokage! What they said was just… selfish!" she shouted and crossed her arms stubbornly; the man closed his eye and got up, "Let me ask you something Sakura…" he began, earning the girl's attention.

"…if you cared about someone so much that you would risk anything for them… would you still save their lives even if it meant hurting them yourself in the process?" he questioned, the girl paused; not really understanding what Kakashi was getting at.

"I don't understand sensei, what do you mean?" she asked and the man walked over to the door, "The bond not only with you but between the boys themselves… the bond **you** created between the three of you… forged something I have never seen before… something stronger than steel…" he muttered, talking more to himself than to the girl.

Sakura remained puzzled with his low mumbling, "Stronger than steel? What are you talking about sensei?" she asked and the man finally looked at her.

"Never mind… my point is that they just wanted to protect you, don't blame them for yelling at you…" he said and the girl sighed. "Do you still want to leave?" he asked and the pinkette looked down, "I need to think…" she muttered, "Alright, get some rest, we leave tomorrow" the man said as he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

On the way out as he stepped in the dark hallway, Kakashi looked beside him; just next to the door, sitting on the floor, slumped against the wall was Sasuke, Naruto on the other side; they had eavesdropped on the entire conversation he and Sakura had.

Naruto hugged his knees, resting his chin on them. Sasuke was leaning on the wall behind him, his hand rested on his cheek as he looked down; both auras giving off a depressing atmosphere.

"Don't worry, she'll come to her senses" the man stated and walked off, leaving the two boys in silence; he shook his head.

'_Sticks and stones can break bones but words can shatter the soul Sakura… You hurt them __**much**__ more, than they hurt you and you don't even know it; you must learn to see from another's eyes…'_ he thought.

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Sakura sat on her bed, it had been only a minute since Kakashi left and her mind was running a mile a minute, _**"Fool!"**_ the voice hissed; She didn't know why it accused her, they were the ones who started it! Sakura held the grudge but it was slowly melting away the more she thought about it, _"They just wanted to protect you… don't blame them for yelling at you…"_ Kakashi's voice echoed in her head _"Try to understand what they went through"_

Sakura remembered the looks on their faces when she woke up…

She had seen pure relief…

"_How would you react if they almost died saving you?" _

"_Sakura… don't you __**ever**__ do that again!"_

"_DON'T YOU GET IT? YOU HAVE TO STAY SAFE!"_

"_One day I'll probably die and there's nothing you can do about it!"… "Then quit…" _

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Realisation hit her like a ton of bricks…

And guilt punched her in the face when she remembered her unnecessary reactions…

_*SLAP!*_

"_Sasuke… what you just said… you… you make me sick…"_

"_Both of you… Get. Out."_

"_You know what? Kakashi-sensei… I quit team seven, clearly my team mates Uchiha and Uzumaki don't want me here… However, I will remain a ninja… resign me on another team"_

"_Yeah right, that jerk said I wasn't fit to be a ninja and that stupid moron Naruto agreed on top of that! What they said hurt me sensei… it really did and they knew it… I hate them for that!"_

"_What they said was just… selfish!"_

No… she's the selfish one… what she said and especially did was stupid…

She slowly got up, her wounds not hurting so much anymore with the dilemma in her mind; her small trek to the door seemed endless as 'what ifs' ran through her mind.

What if they're mad at her?

What if they won't forgive her?

What if they hate her?

She turned the knob and slowly opened the door, she stepped outside and looked around; the hallway was empty…

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She decided to go to Naruto first, she had to sum up the courage to go to Sasuke later…

She stopped outside of the blonde's room and softly knocked on the door, "Naruto? You in there…?" she asked, slowly opening it and looked inside; the boy was lying down on his bed, his back faced her so she couldn't tell if he was awake or if he was sleeping.

The girl sighed; "I'm sorry…" she whispered anyway and went to leave.

But Naruto's eyes were open; he knew she stepped in his room.

"For what?" he asked, not moving from his position; the girl winced at his tone.

"For what happened earlier…" she then replied, walking over to him and stopped a few meters away from his bed; when Naruto didn't reply she sighed softly again, "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that… I just… I now understand that you were only worried about my safety… I'm sorry…" she whispered.

"You don't think I'm a stupid moron?" Naruto asked and the girl flinched again, "you heard that?" she muttered.

"Yeah, you talk pretty loud when you're mad" he stated and Sakura blushed in embarrassment…

"No, I don't think you're a stupid moron… I was frustrated and blurted out things that weren't true… you're not the stupid moron… I am…" she confessed and looked down in shame.

Naruto finally turned around and looked at her; he saw the guilt in her eyes and got up, he walked over to her.

He then remembered the words she had said that really stung…

"_One day I'll probably die and there's nothing you can do about it!"_

"Your words hurt me you know that?" the girl flinched slightly once more at the slight break his voice gave away and the hurt in his eyes but nodded anyway, "If you don't forgive me, I understand… I should leave… I'm sorry…" she mumbled and went to leave but a hand grabbed her wrist; she looked behind her to see Naruto…

"Sakura-Chan… I have to know…" he started and Sakura looked at his blue hues, "…You don't really hate me do you?" he asked…

He must have heard that too…

She looked into his eyes… they were pleading her to tell him that it wasn't true…

"Of course I don't!" she whispered, "I could never hate you Naruto… I only hope you don't hate me…" she said.

She was surprised to feel arms wrap around her in a warm hug, "No… I forgive you Sakura-Chan…" he whispered; she sighed in relief and hugged back; the boy's cheeks reddened and gave a soft smile as he embraced the girl he held dearest.

They parted and Naruto scratched the back of his head, his cheeks still flushed, he was glad it was dark.

"Technically, it's not me you should really be apologizing to" Naruto stated and the girl nodded in despair, "oh… I really hope Sasuke doesn't hate me right now…" she groaned and the boy laughed, "Don't worry, Teme could never hate you, take it from his arch rival" the boy said and pointed at himself.

The girl smiled, "Yeah… I hope you're right, Goodnight Naruto…" she said and exited his room, "Good luck Sakura-Chan!" he whispered and the girl walked towards Sasuke's room…

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Sakura sucked in some air and puffed out a breath _'ok Sakura… you can do this! Just knock and apologize like you did with Naruto…'_ she thought and knocked on the door, "Sasuke…kun…? It's me… Sakura…" she said and to her surprise the door cracked slightly open, revealing an onyx eye.

"What do you want?"

Sakura winced again, feeling like a child that did something really wrong… which was not far from the truth…

His cold tone sent a chill up her spine… Sasuke would be harder to apologize to than Naruto…

"Can I… uh… come in?" she asked nervously; the black eye that belonged to Sasuke glared at her.

"No, now go away…" was his dry reply and the door shut closed.

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Yep… much harder than Naruto…

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Sakura sighed; the guilt now eating her alive as she leaned on the door, "Listen… I… I shouldn't have slapped you… it wasn't necessary and I'm sorry…" she whispered, "The things I said and especially what I did… I know they hurt you… you were only trying to protect me… and I react like a fool…" she said but no reply came from inside…

"Sasuke… please open the door…" the girl pleaded…

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The door cracked open again to reveal his onyx eye once more, "Why are you apologizing? After all… I make you sick…" he growled, trying to glare at her but couldn't.

Sakura saw the emotion in that lone eye…

"After all what I said and did… don't _**I**_make you sick?" she asked, the eye looked down…

"…No…"

Sasuke fully opened the door, revealing himself.

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"Sasuke… I'm so… so sorry…" she repeated; the Uchiha grunted and stepped aside, letting the girl in.

The pinkette walked inside; Sasuke closed the door with a soft click but didn't turn to look at her; none of them uttered a word for a minute.

Sasuke tensed when he felt a hand on his shoulder but didn't glance back, "Won't you look at me…?" she whispered.

"No, because I'm a selfish jerk; you said so yourself" he stated and the girl looked at the ground…

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…of course if Naruto heard her small temper tantrum then Sasuke would have too.

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"No you're not… I didn't mean that… I only said that out of anger" she said and Sasuke finally side-glanced at the girl, "I'm the only selfish person here… I wasn't thinking." She muttered.

Sasuke then fully turned around to look at her, "You don't hate me?" he asked and she looked up.

He had his stony façade in place but his onyx hues told her another story.

"Not in a million years, even if you tried to kill me I wouldn't hate you" she smiled; a small sigh escaped Sasuke's lips, he shoved his hands in his pockets, leaned on the door behind him and closed his eyes.

She couldn't help but think that it sounded like a sigh of relief.

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His eyes snapped open when he felt a hand rest on his cheek; "I can only hope you forgive me…" she mumbled and softly stroke the place where she had slapped not a few hours ago…

He caught her hand softly and lowered it, "Don't worry…" he said; lowering his gaze to the floor.

She knew that was his way of saying 'I forgive you'.

"I apologize too." He then sighed again and the girl looked at him in question, "For what?" she asked and the boy shifted his eyes to their still entwined hands, "For telling you to quit, I know that being a Kunoichi means a lot to you" he said and the girl smiled, blushing a bit "Don't worry, I forgive you… so friends again?" she asked and he nodded.

"Nobody makes one another sick?" she asked and he nodded again; the pinkette then embraced the Uchiha.

The boy was surprised for a second but slowly lifted his hands to return the gesture as he wrapped his arms loosely around her frame… he wasn't used to hugs so he blushed in embarrassment.

They parted and the girl flashed him a cheeky grin, "Goodnight Sasuke-kun" she smiled and opened the door, leaving the room.

The boy stood and watched the girl walk away; he then retreated into his room when she turned the corner.

He closed the door and leaned on it, a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, "Yeah… Goodnight Sakura…" he whispered.

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The day after…

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They had buried for Zabuza and Haku, they were now getting ready before bidding their goodbyes to Tazuna's family.

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"Good morning class" Kakashi said as he looked up from his precious book at his pupils.

Naruto flashed a huge grin, "Good morning!" he chirped and slung the bag over his shoulder, Sakura did the same and Sasuke nodded.

"Everything ok?" he asked, knowing what he meant the three looked at each other.

"Yep!" Sakura grinned and Kakashi gave an eye crinkle, "Good!" he said but then his smile vanished, taking on a grave look.

"But let me tell you something important before we leave…" he whispered and the three looked at him cautiously, "In a ninja's life, friendships don't last forever; nevertheless how strong a bond is something like what you experienced the day before might happen, only next time you won't be so lucky… that's the hard truth… Being a Shinobi means that everything you have is temporary" Kakashi stated.

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Sakura glanced over to her team mates…

She couldn't imagine what would she do if she lost them…

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Naruto looked down; he would usually shout out in objection but even **he** knew that was true… he almost lost Sakura-Chan, he wouldn't know what he would do if she really did die… Sasuke was one of his precious people too, despite their rivalry…

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Sasuke narrowed his eyes… yes… that was never more true than what Kakashi-sensei said… he already lost his entire clan, he couldn't afford to loose the two beside him…

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"You know what sensei?"

The three looked at the girl, "What you said may be true but that doesn't mean we'll be truly separated…" She said and the two boys looked at in confusion, "Huh?"

Sakura looked at them.

"Even if I did die that doesn't mean I'll be far away from you guys, you're my team mates and best friends; I think you feel the same way about me right?" she said but they still didn't understand, "What do you mean Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked and the girl cracked a smile.

"Even if someone dies it doesn't mean they're forever gone; they'll still be there and still love you no matter what, because they'll be in your heart" she said.

Kakashi watched the girl take Sasuke's and Naruto's hands and place one on top of the other over her own heart, the two looked at her in shock.

She looked at them in the eye and smiled, "Rest your heads… I'm permanent."

…

**Raven: I hope you enjoyed it! I don't know but I was glued to David cook's song 'permanent' and it inspired me with this chapter.**

**Don't worry, the next chapter will have some more action and we'll meet the rookie nine and guess who? The sand siblings!**


	8. Chapter 7: Shock!

**Raven: Hey, sorry for the slightly late update, I needed some inspiration and needed to gather my thoughts. Be grateful because I'm posting this 2:48 in the god damn morning!**

…**.**

**Chapter 7: Shock!**

Sakura woke up with a sigh, _'another day, another annoying mission with Sasuke and Naruto being overprotective… again…' _she grunted and grudgingly got out of bed.

It had been a week since they got back from the land of waves and for those past few days Naruto and Sasuke had really gotten on her nerves… at first she enjoyed the attention but after the first mission they already started to get annoying…

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The girl got dressed and climbed downstairs, just when she was about to walk out the door, someone stopped her, "Sakura!" a voice yelled as footsteps rapidly came in from the other room and the pinkette sighed, knowing very well who it was… _'Kami, have mercy on me!'_

She turned around and was met with green eyes, "What do you want Sayuri?" Sakura muttered and the woman scoffed, "Rude much? Anyway, I have some news for you" Sayuri announced and the girl lifted a brow, "You are no longer my 'daughter'. I have taken care of the contract that bound you to me, so you are no longer able to stay here." The woman explained and Sakura's eyes widened, "What the heck are you saying?" the girl fumed and the woman sneered, "I adopted you so I can have a perfect daughter, or at least a perfect daughter to me… but since you have been nothing but a nuisance for over eight years and did nothing to even try to at least create some sort of bond between us, I'm not seeing any reason for you to stay under my roof any longer, after your mission you will pack your things and leave my house; go to the Hokage, he has already assigned a place for you to stay. I had asked him to get you a home for you to live in because I can't just throw you out on the streets, it'll make me look bad." The woman stated and slammed the door shut in the pinkette's face.

Sakura stared blankly at the door; to be honest she wasn't surprised even in the slightest… rejection is something Sakura had experienced long ago so nothing shocked her anymore…

…but that funny feeling came back and twisted in her gut…

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Sakura was very irritated… yes… irritated indeed.

Kakashi sighed at the two arguing boys, _'this is ridiculous… the three have been lacking in teamwork greatly during these missions…'_ he thought and looked at the girl; _'Not only that but Naruto and Sasuke have been rather… clingy… to Sakura since the land of waves; they always worry about her safety now and they're always with her even off duty… the only thing missing now is moving in with her!'_ he shook his head and sighed, _'not that I blame them… but those two are going way over the edge.'_ The man then glanced over to her and chuckled slightly, _'though I do find it amusing, Sakura seems annoyed with all of this'_ he smirked as he watched the scene unwrap before him.

"That does it! Teme-" Naruto started and was about to charge on at him but Sakura interfered and grabbed the blonde in a headlock, "If you start anything more, I'll bury you!" she yelled, now pissed off.

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Sakura couldn't take anymore of this… First she was thrown out of her home only to move in some crappy apartment and then her team mates all of a sudden treat her like she's some kind of porcelain doll! What next? The apocalypse? An alien invasion?

"OW! Sakura-Chan! That hurts!" Naruto whined, the Uchiha scoffed and a vein popped in Sakura's forehead.

Kakashi sighed, "Ok that's it, we'll call it a day right now" he said and the girl sighed in relief, "Thank Kami! I'm going…" she paused for a second "…home."

The pinkette muttered and started walking away, "I'll walk you home!" Naruto's question was more of a statement as he stepped up beside her.

Sakura stopped walking and turned around, "No Naruto that won't be needed, I'm more than capable of walking home myself" she gritted her teeth and glared at the boy; the two were taken aback by her annoyance.

"Relax Sakura, the Dobe just wanted to accompany you… but if you don't want to see his ugly face then I'll go instead" Sasuke offered and shoved his hands in his pockets; Naruto glowered at the Uchiha, "Why you-" he started but stopped mid sentence at the girl's dry reply… "No"

Normally she would have squealed in delight to have her crush walk her home, any girl would have; but even Sasuke was starting to get annoying.

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They've been practically her shadow for the past seven days.

Especially Naruto; he acted as if danger was just around the corner to kill her!

Even Sasuke acted like that in his own 'I'm-worried-like-hell-but-I'm-still-cool' kind of thing.

She only got her privacy in her room and even there Sayuri always bothered her… but since she kicked her out today, Sakura really wasn't in the mood for company.

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Sasuke looked at her in confusion, "You don't want our company?" he asked and the girl sighed, "Not that I don't appreciate it but seriously, I need some alone time" she mumbled, "But-" Naruto started but Kakashi interrupted, "Boys I think it's time you leave her alone for now" he said and Sakura sighed in relief once more, never more happy to have her sensei. "Thank you!" Sakura exclaimed, the Uchiha scowled and Naruto frowned, clearly showing that they're not comfortable with that idea.

Kakashi sighed yet again.

"You guys need to relax, I know you're worried about her safety since **that** but you are both taking it way too seriously, no danger has popped up yet so cool down" the teacher said and Sasuke glared, "I don't know what you're talking about" he grumbled and walked off in the other direction.

Kakashi rolled his eye and sighed once more, "Good luck Sakura" he stated and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Naruto and Sakura alone; the boy frowned and crossed his arms, "Humph! What do you know? What if something happens to Sakura-Chan if I leave her alone for even a second?" he yelled back at their sensei who was nowhere to be seen. Another vein popped in Sakura's forehead, "NARUTO… I'm NOT a damsel in distress! I can take care of myself! Stop being so annoying!" she yelled and knocked the boy over the head, he grunted in pain and rubbed his aching bump that formed, "But Sakura-Chaaaan…" he whined, she crossed her arms and turned away from him, "Humph!"

Naruto went to follow but he noticed a rock sneaking up behind him…

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Finally annoyed with the rock following him everywhere he pointed at it, "PSYCH! FAKED YOU OUT ROCK! Little hint… no rock has perfect angles, perfect corners… and eye holes. KIND OF A BIG CLUE!" Naruto's shout caught Sakura's attention, she turned around to see three academy students crawl out of the box, "leave it to the man I have acknowledged as being almost my equal! Your skills rival my own!" a brown haired boy in the middle of the trio shouted back; Sakura sweat dropped as she watched them babble on about stuff and that the three wanted to play ninja with the blonde.

"What is a ninja doing 'playing ninja' hmm?" Sakura asked in a bored tone, Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment but before he can answer the kid named Konohamaru piped in, "Hey big guy, who's the babe?" he asked and Naruto's cheeks heated up, '_oh great, I'm blushing!'_ He thought as he noticed Sakura staring at him as if asking for an explanation.

Seeing Naruto's blush, Konohamaru's gaze shifted towards the annoyed girl and an idea popped in his mind, he scooted Naruto "Hey big guy, seeing as you're so smart and suave and all… the hottie… I can tell… you and she are… you knooooow, right?" Konohamaru grinned and wiggled his pinkie finger in a suggestive matter…

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Oh no… Sakura knew very well what that little brat meant…

Of course the apocalypse and alien invasion weren't good enough… it had to be three little brats…

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Naruto turned beet red and smiled, "heh, heh, heh… for little guys, you catch on quick" he said and the pinkette looked at him bewildered…

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Oh no, he didn't… first Naruto gets all protective, not leaving her in piece for a second and then he tells the kids that she's his girlfriend? Sakura knew Naruto liked her more than a friend, it was painfully obvious… but her patience with the boy was coming up and over the edge.

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She grabbed his collar, their noses touching as she looked at him straight in the eye, her aura turning deadly as beads of sweat trailed down the boy's face…

"Naruto… you know very well how hard I can hit" she seethed and glared into his blue eyes; Naruto gulped, "Hey big guy! Why are you letting the chick be the dominant one? Aren't **you** the man of the house?" Konohamaru asked and Sakura's limits burst, she turned her head to glare at the younger boy "Shut up! I'm not his girlfriend and I won't ever be! We are just friends and that's the way things will stay between us!" she yelled, too pissed off to care about the dejected look Naruto was giving her; "Now tell them!" she yelled and shook him rather harshly, when he said nothing and looked like he was lost in thought for a moment she gave him a good punch to the jaw to wake him up.

The boy stumbled and crashed into the fence not too far away, breaking it in the process; Konohamaru gasped and ran over to him, "Big guy! You're our leader, you can't die!" he yelled and helped the boy up, "You total witch!" he then pointed at the pinkette who was smoking from the ears and nose; she cracked her fists and approached the cowering brunet.

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Konohamaru lay next to Naruto with equally large bumps on their heads as Sakura stomped off, "Konohamaru! Are you alright?" the boy named Udon asked and kneeled next to his fallen comrade; the brunet got up and rubbed his sore head, "Jeez! That broad-browed, fire breathing hag! Is she even a real female?" he growled but paused when the girl froze, she slowly turned around to give him a look that would make the Hokage run for his money!

"AAAAHHHHH!" Konohamaru screamed and ran for his life as Sakura chased him to give the toddler a piece of her mind!

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The brunet crashed into something; he looked up to see a teen in a black suit with paint all over his face and a blonde girl with four pony tails and a huge fan on her back just next to him.

The teen in the black, one piece jumpsuit picked up Konohamaru by the collar, "That hurt snot-face!" he said, the blonde girl scowled, "Kankuro, knock it off, you're going to get it as it is!" she said.

Just then Naruto came running with the other two younger kids and saw the ninja hold up the boy by his shirt; the blond growled, "Put him down you big ape!" he yelled, "It was my fault, I was fooling around…" Sakura tried to explain but Naruto rushed forward before she could stop him, with a flick of Kankuro's fingers Naruto was on the ground, "So these are Konoha Genin? Pathetic!" he sneered.

"Release Konohamaru and I'll go easy on you, you goon!" the blonde yelled and went to attack again but the pinkette managed to grasp him in a chokehold before he can rush forward, "You're the goon! Do you want him to beat you up?" she whispered harshly in his ear.

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"You're starting to annoy me! First off, I'm allergic to shrimp, bad enough that you're a short little kid, you're disrespecting you're elders! You make me want to kill him!" the older boy named Kankuro said and the brunet in his grasp gasped, "So I'll just finish with this tiny shrimp here and then I'll move on to the jumbo shrimp over there!" he grinned and lifted a fist to punch Konohamaru.

But before he can lay it on the small boy sharp pain coursed through his hand, "OW!" Kankuro yelped and dropped the brunet.

A stone landed on the ground.

The black, jumpsuit wearing boy held his sore hand and looked up along with the others.

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Sasuke sat up on a tree.

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"What are foreigners like you doing in our village?" the Uchiha asked and the teen glared, "Oh look… another little brat!"

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As the foreign boy and the pinkette's team mate exchanged words; Sakura couldn't help but feel Goosebumps surface on her skin as she felt eyes shift over her being… _**"Threat!"**_ her instincts screeched as every hair on her body stood on edge.

Just as Kankuro was about to unwrap something that rested on his back, ('the crow' as the blonde girl mentioned), a voice rang in the air that made everyone freeze, "Kankuro, stop." the girl shot her head up to see a shadow on the tree Sasuke was sitting on…

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Red hair, a tattoo meaning love on his forehead… sea green eyes gave the black wearing ninja boy a cold stare; Sakura gasped along with the others "G-Gaara!" the purple faced teen stuttered, "You're a disgrace to our village" the redhead glared and the older teens shivered in fear, "It won't happen again, we're sorry ok Gaara?" the girl apologized "Yeah, what Temari said! I'm sorry!" the other added and the redhead shifted his gaze towards the Uchiha.

'_He nailed Kankuro with a stone, that took skill'_ the boy thought, "Sorry about my friends" he said and teleported down in between his team mates, "Stop playing around…" he scolded the two as his eyes shifted over the kids, "…now Let's go" Gaara ordered and turned to leave but paused when he heard someone's shout, "Wait!" he turned around to see the pink haired girl…

"According to your headbands, you three come from the sand village… According to our treaty, your ninja aren't permitted to cross the border without authorization. Sate your business! We can't just let you go your merry way!" she demanded and the girl named Temari took out her travel papers "weren't you informed? We're here to take the Chunin selection exam that starts in a few weeks" she said as the whiskered boy looked at her in question, "Chunin exam?" he muttered… the blonde girl started explaining.

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Sakura had stopped listening after she was satisfied with the answer and stared at the redhead named Gaara who stared right back… his eyes were bone chilling and his glare melted iron; Sakura gave a barely visible shiver as she stared into those green hues…

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But at the same time…

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She felt irritated inside; she couldn't help but take note that the boy stared at her and the others just behind her like they were nothing but useless trash… More or so at her when he noticed her shiver; that erased her slight fear and got replaced by a fiery annoyance bursting in her chest…

"_**What are **__**you**__** looking at, you creep?"**_ Her inner glowered as her features switched from fear to mirroring Gaara's; the redhead's pupils dilated in surprise when he noticed the girl's abrupt change of emotions.

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When the redhead still stared at her like she was nothing, it added gas to her burning ire, _**"So you think you're the dominant one? Think again!"**_ the voice hissed and Sakura's glare hardened… as did Gaara's…

Sasuke and Kankuro took note of the intense glaring contest that had befallen on the pink haired girl and red haired boy, Kankuro's eyes widened _'Is this girl nuts? He'll kill her if she doesn't back down!'_ the face painted teen thought.

'_Pity I can't crush her bones yet or the invasion would foil and I would get in trouble by both villages'_ Gaara scowled as he glared into those emerald eyes…

In truth he was shocked that a weak little girl who had by a miracle somehow managed to become a Genin was staring into his eyes for more that five seconds when not even an elite Shinobi would do so!

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Sasuke didn't like the way that redhead was staring at Sakura; it made his blood boil when he felt the bloodlust being aimed at her by this guy.

The raven boy teleported from the tree in front of Sakura, interrupting their little contest "Hey, you there! What's your name?" Sasuke demanded as he glared at the sand ninja who dared silently threaten his team mate and friend, "W-Who? Me?" Temari asked with a small blush blooming on her cheeks.

"No! I was talking to the spook beside you" he said and the redhead looked annoyed, "Gaara of the desert, you are?" he replied; the raven boy smirked at the unspoken challenge being aimed at him from the red haired ninja, "Uchiha Sasuke" he answered and entered a staring contest of their own but another voice piped in, "Hey, Hey! Don't you want to know my name?" Naruto asked, "No" Gaara deadpanned and gestured for his team to leave.

'_What an interesting girl, I wonder how brave she would act if I attempt to kill her'_ Gaara thought and side glanced at her as he jumped away with his team mates.

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Sakura stared at the place where the spook had been moments ago, ignoring the kids' shouts and Naruto's sulking…

"_**Humph! He thinks he's so superior! I'll show him!" **_her inner scowled and the girl huffed… she needed to keep her inner thoughts in check...

Sasuke turned to his two team mates "I leave you two alone for what? About five minutes? And you already got yourselves into trouble!" Sasuke scolded, the whiskered boy growled at the accusing stare he was receiving from him "Shut it teme! It wasn't MY fault, so stop glaring at me like it is!" Naruto shot back and the Uchiha shifted his gaze to Sakura; he lifted a brow, "What was with the intense glaring? You saw the way that guy was looking at you, do you want to make a deadly enemy so fast?" Sasuke scolded her and she scowled, "He started it! That creep thought he can scare me with his creepiness!" she yelled and grabbed her fist, pretending it was his head, "Thinks he's so dominant! If I get my hands on him, I'll…!" she paused, seeing that the boys and the smaller kids were looking at her bewildered…

Sakura blushed in embarrassment and scratched her head, her gesture very similar to Naruto's. "Uh… did I say that out loud…?" she chuckled nervously…

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Yep… she really needed to keep her thoughts in check…

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"Dude, that chick is insane!" Konohamaru whispered to his two friends; "What was that?" the pinkette growled and the three kids cowered, "N-nothing! Uh… see ya!" Konohamaru stuttered and the three ran away.

She scoffed but then smirked, "That's what they get for insulting me!" she shouted and crossed her arms, sighing; "I'm going home" the girl stated and walked away.

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"Naruto… have you noticed Sakura acting… weird lately?" the raven haired boy asked and the blond nodded as they stared at her retreating figure, "Yeah… somehow she's more violent and also gets angered very easily now!" he muttered as he rubbed his sore jaw where she had landed the blow not too long ago, hoping that his rival never finds out about his little heart break.

"Something's wrong… and I'm… worried…" Sasuke admitted in a low tone and narrowed his eyes; Naruto looked down, "Me too…" he whispered.

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Sakura held her throbbing head, "Jeez… what's the matter with me? Why am I so jumpy? I was like this yesterday too but it wasn't as strong…" she mumbled, not liking her situation…

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Suddenly, a man appeared before her in a puff of smoke.

She coughed and looked up to see Iruka, "Sensei! What are you doing here?" she asked and the scar-faced man narrowed his eyes, "Sakura, the Hokage wishes to see you at his office immediately, there is someone there to see you… come with me" he said.

Who is to see her?

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As they approached closer and closer to the tower, she felt her insides twist uncomfortably; the problem was she didn't know why…

"Sakura…" the scar faced man started, catching her attention as they stopped in front of the door; "This might be a bit of a shock" he said and the girl gulped, what was behind that door?

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They entered the office.

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The third Hokage was sitting on his large desk, his hand folded under his chin in a troubled manner with his pipe in hand…

A man was standing in front of the desk, his back facing Sakura, wearing a black cloak with the hood up so you can't see his face…

"What… What is it you wanted to see me for Hokage-sama? Who is that?" Sakura asked as she tugged at her loose red top in nervousness, the Hokage closed his eyes and blew out some smoke from his pipe.

What unnerved her wasn't that the old man didn't say anything… what unnerved her was that the aura embedding from the unknown man in the cloak felt painfully familiar…

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The man slowly turned around and lifted his hands to reach the hood.

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He lowered his hood and Sakura gave a loud gasp…

Her inner screamed in pain and anger as the girl's eyes widened; her pupils dilated into tiny dots, she felt her jaw unhinge and open slightly as her whole body froze in shock except for her heart which was beating a mile a second…

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"Hello Sakura…" the man spoke as emerald stared into emerald…

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**Raven: Who's that man? What does he have to do with Sakura? What's wrong with her inner persona? What's going to happen next? **


	9. Chapter 8: Not good enough

**Raven: Ohhahahaha! I love cliff-hangers! It makes everyone guess and I love it! Well ladies and gentlemen! Prepare for your minds to be blown away with the man's identity!**

**Chapter 8: Not good enough**

Emerald green eyes… stark white and bangs that fell just over his forehead, hard, strict features and a strong, proud stance…

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"N-no… no… no! It can't be!" Sakura's body shook as sweat trickled down her brow; the man walked over to her and looked at her up and down, "I came back to see how you are doing… you've most certainly grown" the man said and circled the stiff girl, "I've also heard that your foster parent kicked you out today, it turned out she wasn't a suitable mother for the job" he added and glanced at her forehead protector.

"So you've finally become a Genin" the man then stated, ignoring the girl's obvious emotional trauma.

Her eyes started to burn and she lifted a hand to hold her aching heart, "W-Why? Why did you come back?" she whispered and the man grunted, "The Hokage has informed me of what happened today and I have decided to stay in Konoha for a short while to take you in until he can find another suitable parent to raise you" he replied and the girl looked down, her hair shadowed her eyes…

"No! I don't want another parent and I don't want you here!" she lifted her head and yelled at him as saltwater streamed down her flushed cheeks…

The emerald eyed man didn't acknowledge her tears, "You have no choice; your things are already at my temporary house" he stated and placed a hand on her head, silencing her in the process as she looked at him in shock…

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Sakura slowly looked down, knowing there was nothing she can do about this and let the tears flow down her face... "Madoka-san, are you sure you wish to take Haruno Sakura under your care?" The third asked and the man nodded "Yes, I wish to see how well she's developed during my absence" he said and turned the knob on the door; the man turned around to see the still frozen pinkette… "Come, Sakura!" he ordered and the girl followed obediently…

"Yes sir…"

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Iruka narrowed his eyes and glanced at the old man behind the desk, "Hokage-sama, are you sure that man is appropriate to take care of her?" he asked and the old man breathed out smoke, "Yes" the Hokage stated and closed his eyes in a troubled manner _'I only hope Sakura can take this…'_ he thought.

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The next day…

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"Hey Kakashi-sensei, have you seen Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked as he played with his fingers nervously, "Yeah… I haven't seen her since yesterday" Sasuke said; Kakashi closed his eye, noting their anxiousness…

"Let's just say she and… a face from the past… had a little reunion" the masked Jonin said and closed his book, "Reunion?" the Uchiha asked and Kakashi nodded, "it's a bit personal for her so it's not my place to tell you" he quickly saluted and disappeared in a puff of smoke; the two boys looked at each other in question, "I'll ask her when I see her" Naruto stated but the raven boy shook his head, "No, leave it for now… I'm curious too but the way Kakashi-sensei mentioned this 'reunion', it sounded serious… as much as I care about Sakura her personal life isn't something she would want us to get involved in…"

Naruto remained quiet for a moment but then hesitantly nodded "you want to go training?" the blonde then asked, changing the subject, "Sure Dobe, even if we both know I'll win anyway" Sasuke smirked as a vein popped in Naruto's forehead, "Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" he growled and they proceeded towards the training grounds.

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Sakura and Madoka sat in the small living room; the girl sat stiffly as the man looked through her profile, "hm… you're one of the smartest students in the academy; passed every test you have ever taken with perfect scores… 26 D rank missions and one C rank mission completed successfully… Good…" he grunted as his eyes shifted back and forth, reading the words, "But you are known for causing trouble around the village along with a boy named Naruto" Madoka narrowed his eyes in disappointment; he looked up at her to see the dry tear stains still on her face, "Wipe those tears away Sakura, you know the twenty fifth rule of the Shinobi conduct" he demanded and the girl quickly wiped them away with her hand.

"A Ninja never cries…" she whispered and the white haired man nodded, "You seem to know all the rules, I suggest you follow them" he deadpanned and crossed his arms, making the pinkette slightly wince.

"Your team mates are… Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto…" he stared at the paper with an unreadable expression, "I've heard that the Uchiha boy is quite powerful, I'm sure you are almost, if not just as powerful as well" he muttered and looked up at the girl "I also heard that your teacher is the famous copycat ninja, Hatake Kakashi, is this true?" he asked and the green eyed girl slowly nodded; the man smirked, "Good, I wish to see what he's taught you so far, let's go to the training grounds" he said and the girl softly gasped.

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"Let's see how strong you are" Madoka said and took a defensive stance, "Attack me with all you've got".

Beads of sweat ran down her face as she slowly took out a kunai with a shaking hand, very uncomfortable with his gaze piercing her skull. "Well?" he pressed and he furrowed his brows; the girl gave a shaky breath and charged at him.

"Not fast enough!" he deadpanned as he blocked her kick with ease, she grunted and settled for a punch but he took hold of her fist and threw her a bit further away from him, she landed rather ungracefully on her back "Not stealthy enough either?" he glared at her as the girl groaned and got up to charge at him once more.

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Sakura had tried to fight him but it was all in vain, he had defeated her in a minute…

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Madoka gave a small scoff; he looked at the girl in annoyance as she sat on the ground panting, small scrapes and bruises all over her body.

"It seems that I highly overestimated you Sakura, you haven't perfected any Jutsus and your physical strength is way below an average Genin's… if this were a real battle I wouldn't have given you a thought and you would've been dead in a second… a ninja never lets his or her guard down." The white haired Jonin grunted and shook his head as his eyes hardened.

"I expected a proud, strong girl when I came back… but it seems you have turned out to be a huge disappointment. You're weak." The green eyed man stated and crossed his arms, "My great respect for the copycat ninja has vanished because of the pathetic results I see with you" he added, the pink haired girl lowered her head even more and clenched her fists, "When you're done licking your wounds, go back to the house or do something until I get back, I have things to do." Madoka said and disappeared in a whirl of leaves.

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Sakura sat there… unmoving.

Drip… drip…

Water droplets trickled down her face and fell on the hard dirt…

She breathed in to try and stop the tears but they kept coming… "AAAAHHHHH!" she screamed and punched the ground, her voice echoed as she gasped in pain and held her bleeding knuckles…

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"I'll beat you this time for sure!" Naruto grinned and got lost in his fantasies while Sasuke walked next to him with a smirk on his face, "Whatever you say Dobe" he rolled his eyes and sighed as Naruto ranted on.

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Naruto… Sasuke's annoying rival. The Uchiha hated him at first but then came to enjoy his company; he thought of Naruto as a stupid, moronic, funny knucklehead that had his mind continually on three things… Ramen, the title Hokage and Sakura.

But as time went by and the raven boy got to know the blond, he figured that they weren't so different; the Dobe was a happy-go-lucky kid who wanted nothing else but for someone to acknowledge him and would stop at nothing to make his dreams come true, it was then that Sasuke started to somewhat respect Naruto.

Sasuke… Naruto's arch rival.

Naruto always hated his brooding and stuck up attitude; hating him even more when he stole Sakura-Chan's heart… but in time he got to know him and enjoyed that the Uchiha actually stayed and listened to whatever he said. Yes he was the silent type, the opposite of what Naruto himself was… but the blond liked the company he gave him.

Sasuke was a quiet kid who had a deep determination to succeed in his goals… When Naruto found out that deep inside the raven boy wanted someone to care about him too, it was then that the whiskered boy started holding some respect for him.

You can somewhat… somehow… call them not only rivals… but friends too.

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"This time I'll show you the new move I've been working on to defeat you!" Naruto giggled like an idiot and hopped up and down, he couldn't wait to beat up the Uchiha.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "You never give up do you?" he asked and the blond huffed, "Never!" he shouted and punched a fist in the air to emphasize the point.

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The boys had arrived at the training grounds, chatting and arguing as always; the two stopped about 10 feet away from each other "Ready?" Sasuke asked as he pulled out a kunai and took on a fighting stance, "I was born ready! Believe it!" Naruto grinned and formed the hand seal; five clones appeared behind him…

There was a moment of silence as they stared into each others eyes to see who will attack first.

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But they paused in their steps when they heard a scream not too far away…

Naruto's clones dispersed and Sasuke put his kunai back in his pouch as they both looked in the direction they heard the yell, "What was that?" Naruto asked.

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"That voice…" Sasuke whispered and their eyes widened, recognising the scream… the two rushed towards the cry that was heard.

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They came to the next training ground close by, a figure was slumped in the middle of the clearing; they saw pink hair…

"Sakura-Chan!" the blond yelled as they rushed by her side.

Her clothes were slightly torn, a few kunai scratches here and there… Naruto fell on his knees in front of her and placed his hands on her shaking shoulders…

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"Sakura…" a voice softly spoke, she knew that voice…

"S…Sasuke…kun?"

She slowly looked up and the first thing she saw were blue eyes… "N-Naruto…?"

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Naruto's eyes widened when he saw sparkling saltwater streaks adorning her flustered face, "Sakura-Chan! What's wrong?" he gasped and grabbed her arms; seeing her state, the blond narrowed his eyes, his appearance taking on a snarl.

"Who hurt you?" Sasuke voiced out for the blonde, clearly seeing her wounds and tears too as he also kneeled down next to her, his stature tense "N…Naruto… S…Sa…Sasuke…" she whimpered and grasped onto their shirts as if they were her life line…

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The emotions in her eyes… pain, rejection and sadness…

They had never seen her like this…

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"Sakura-Chan… what happened…?" Naruto whispered but the girl didn't reply; shock shot across their beings like electric bolts as she abruptly wrapped her arms around their necks to find comfort, "Please… don't go away…" she whispered.

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Naruto's anger slowly faded… His eyes saddened and his chest started feeling her emotional pain as he felt the crystal tears dampen his shirt…

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Sasuke narrowed his eyes; his heart squeezing as he listened to her soft sniffs and sobs…

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They had seen that look before…

…In the mirror…

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They both returned the embrace…

"Don't worry… we're not going anywhere…" the raven boy whispered.

The two boys glanced at each other over the girl's shoulders, a silent agreement gone between them.

They didn't know why she was like this… but they knew one thing… and that was that their pink haired friend needed them right now…

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Sakura's thoughts were running a million miles a second; her inner persona screeched and cried in despair and emotional agony but didn't utter a word… she remembered the man's words and the disappointment in his eyes…

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Madoka had entered the Hokage's office; the third looked up to see a very displeased look on his face, "Where can I find Kakashi Hatake? I have something to talk to him about" the man stated and the old man looked up in question.

"Really? Like what?" he asked and the man crossed his arms, "Just now I went to train Sakura to see how well Hatake has trained her and the results were catastrophic, she didn't even last a minute and I was going really easy on her; she is lacking very much in strength and stamina, just what has that lazy bastard has been teaching her? Because it seems to me that he hasn't taught her anything at all" Madoka growled.

The Hokage narrowed his eyes "If what you say is true… then perhaps you could train her as well?" he asked and the man's green eyes widened slightly in surprise, "Me? As far as I know a Shinobi looks after their village and missions, the assigned teachers and parents care for and teach the younger ones" he exclaimed, the Hokage cleared his throat.

"Yes, but you **are** her father; who better to raise and train the young Haruno than Madoka Haruno himself?" Sarutobi questioned.

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There was a moment of silence as the man glared at the ground, after about a minute he sighed in defeat, "Very well… only until you find a suitable mother to raise my daughter, how long until you do so?" he asked and Sarutobi hummed, "With the circumstances and slight problems with the neighbouring villages, it may take a while until I can manage to even **look** for a parent for her" he muttered "Fine" the green eyed Shinobi grunted and turned to leave, "But wait… what if I can't find a suitable mother in this village?" the Hokage asked and the white haired Jonin paused, "Then look for another village to raise my child in" he stated, "I'll fill in the papers if we ever come to that conclusion" Sarutobi heard Madoka say and sighed.

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Not stealthy enough.

Not fast enough.

Not strong enough.

Not smart enough…

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"_**I'm not good enough…" **_The voice whimpered; feeling like her heart was ripped out all over again…

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But voices cut into her mind… whitening her black abyss…

"Sakura-Chan!"

"Sakura!" they yelled…

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It was Sasuke and Naruto…

She had never been more relieved to see them… __

She saw their mouths moving but it was as if she was deaf…

The pinkette embraced them tightly…

"Please… Don't go away…" she begged…

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Finally Sasuke's voice managed to pierce through the silence she heard… "Don't worry… we're not going anywhere…" when she heard those words her heart burst in happiness…

She was never so glad to have these two in her whole life…

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After what seemed like hours of remaining in the same position, Sakura finally let go and wiped her eyes with her fists, settling for small hiccups and sniffs; the two let go as well and looked at her with slight worry…

Sakura smiled, "thank you…" she whispered; Sasuke helped her get up, "Sakura… you have to tell us what happened…" he said and the girl looked down, "I don't want to talk about it…" she whispered and he narrowed his eyes along with Naruto's "Sakura-Chan… who did this to you…?" Naruto growled and Sasuke glared.

But both of their features softened when she looked at them again, fresh tears brimming in her bloodshot emerald hues…

"Please… I don't want to right now…" she whispered once more.

Naruto sighed softly through his nose; he cupped her cheeks with both hands and wiped away her tears with his thumbs, the blond then looked at her dead in the eye to show that he was very serious.

"When I find out who did this to you, I swear I'll beat him up no matter who he or she is!" he said sternly; Sakura looked at him in surprise, "That makes two of us" she glanced at Sasuke to see him with onyx eyes holding promise…

The girl lowered Naruto's hands from her face, "Thank you..." she muttered, _'even if you won't be able to'_ she thought bitterly.

Naruto spotted her bleeding hand that held his own, "Sakura-Chan! Your hand!" he gasped and took hold of it, she yelped in pain when he did.

"When I get my hands on that person I swear I'll-" Naruto started in a snarl but was cut off by Sakura, "Yeah… heh, heh… I kind of did that to myself… I punched the ground in frustration and accidentally broke my fingers" she chuckled nervously when she received a hard glare from Sasuke, "Hurting yourself isn't the answer to anything" he scolded and nursed her hand to the best of his abilities which wasn't much…

"There, now let's go to the hospital before we do anything else" he said as they leaded her towards their destination.

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Sakura couldn't help but feel happy with these two around…. she inwardly smiled; there was a word for the intense caring she had for the two boys…

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What was that word again?

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The next day came quickly.

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The three Genin waited at their usual meeting spot on the bridge for their teacher, Sakura sighed in frustration as they waited.

She couldn't take it anymore…

"OKAY THAT'S IT! Are we going to just stand around and let him get away with this? Why is it whenever we get called out we end up waiting like dopes for the challenger to show?" she yelled and Naruto nodded, "yeah she's right! Say it Sakura-Chan!" Naruto agreed and punched the air as Sakura ranted and a vein popped in Sasuke's forehead, _'why do these two always wake up feeling dramatic?'_ Sasuke thought in annoyance.

"Morning guys! I sort of wandered a bit from the path of life…" Kakashi saluted but Naruto and Sakura cut him off, "LIAR!" they yelled in sync, "Anyway… this might surprise you but I've recommended all three of you for the Chunin selection exam" he said and handed the shocked kids their applications to fill…

"KAKASHI-SENSEI I LOVE YOU!" Naruto yelled in joy and hugged the grey haired man, "Yeah ok… Get off! You're embarrassing me!" Kakashi yelled back and shoved the boy off of him, "if any of you don't wish to compete, the exam is entirely voluntary; if you do, report to room 301 at the school by 4:00 tomorrow afternoon, that is all!" their sensei announced and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The three walked down the path as Naruto practically skipped down next to them, holding his paper "Dum-di-di-duh! The journeyman selection exam! I'll bet there'll be a lot of tough competition." Naruto sang and the purple faced sand ninja popped in his mind, _'like him!'_ he thought and glanced over to Sasuke, the Uchiha caught his gaze and they both glared at each other, _'and that other one!'_ Naruto thought sourly.

Sasuke had other thoughts as well; _'I might get to face off against that spook!'_ he thought and shivered with excitement as the redhead appeared in his memory, "Hah!" he grunted and smirked.

Both boys were too caught up in their thoughts to notice Sakura stop walking; she watched their backs as they walked away…

'_You're weak'_ her father's voice rang through her mind as she remembered their short lived battle…

'_I expected a proud, strong girl when I came back… but it seems you have turned out to be a huge disappointment'_

She stared at her paper… _'I… don't want to…'_ she thought and looked down, _'He's right… I'm weak… this exam would be too much for me…'_ she thought sadly and walked away towards her house…

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The pink haired girl opened the door to see the house empty…

She sighed, walking up to her room and lay down on her bed, a few tears staining her pillow...

"_**No!" **_a voice shouted, Sakura snapped her eyes open, _**"I won't give up! We'll show him that we're not weak! We'll take the exam and prove him wrong!"**_ her inner persona yelled, _'do I really think so?'_ the girl thought and sighed, but then she narrowed her eyes in determination…

It was settled… she decided to go…_**"CHA!"**_

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Sakura woke up, got dressed and walked downstairs to get some breakfast but stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of her father reading a scroll in the living room, he glanced up to give her a small glare, "Uh… good morning…" she muttered and Madoka cleared his throat, "Sakura, a Shinobi wakens before the village does" he said sternly and the girl glanced at the clock.

10:00 am

"You're lucky my small mission is in half an hour, don't be late again" he deadpanned and got up, "eat and go get ready, since you have nowhere to go besides the academy at 4:00 pm to report your paper, you'll be coming with me" he stated, "But-" she started but the man held up his hand, silencing her. "No 'Buts' now go and get ready!" he ordered and Sakura did as told…

As she ascended the steps a thought pierced her mind _'did he just… Why? How did he know I'll go? He WANTS me to go?'_

But her questions remained unanswered.

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"So… what's your mission?" the pinkette asked nervously as she walked next to her father, "We just have to scout the borders of Konoha" he stated and glanced at her, seeing her slouching figure.

"Sakura, stand straight! When they say first impressions are very important they meant it, a Shinobi must at least give the impression to his enemies that he isn't one to be dealt with or has any weak points. It's useful if you want to avoid a challenge" He said and the girl straightened her back, "A Shinobi displays dignity and walks with pride, it symbolizes his/her village's will" he interpreted as he looked in front of him once more while the girl tried to mimic his stance; ending up tripping over a small rock because she didn't look down and fell flat on her face, the pink haired girl blushed in embarrassment; she was glad that nobody was around.

Madoka sighed in annoyance and continued walking, "come along, we have a lot of ground to cover" he grumbled, "yes, sir…" the girl mumbled, got up and followed.

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Soon they reached a lake; Madoka continued walking on the water as if it were land! He glanced back to see Sakura staring at him in surprise, "Every Genin at least knows how to walk on water" he stated, the pinkette gulped, "uh… but I only know how to climb trees in that fashion…" she said and the man grunted, "It's basically the same thing even if it is more of a challenge because the water isn't solid, just focus your charka on the bottom of your feet but use more energy" he explained and crossed his arms, waiting for her.

The girl did just that, took the first step… and stepped on the water; she had managed to walk all the way to her father.

"Good" he said and proceeded; the pinkette followed him but she couldn't even get halfway across the lake; her charka depleted, she lost her focus and yelped as she fell in the water with a splash.

The girl's head surfaced, she coughed and sputtered out water, the white haired man took note of this, "Hm… you have perfect charka control but your charka reserves are uncharacteristically low, you need to build up your stamina" he said while picking the girl up by the arm and looked at her in the eye as she hung in his grasped, "Your have absolutely no strong point in Ninjutsu, Genjutsu or Taijutsu" he stated.

Sakura looked down, "You need training" he added placing her on his back and carried her all the way to the shore; Sakura rested her head on his shoulder… her eyes saddening.

She got off his back when they reached land and fell in step next to her father.

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After a while they reached the Hokage Mountains and Sakura looked up and saw at how high it was, "Uh… can't we just go around and climb the steps?" she asked as her father stepped on the rock, "No, it's faster this way" he looked down and noted her nervous state; he looked up at the monument, remembering how that Sakura didn't even manage to cross the lake… Madoka looked at his watch; it was 3:10 pm.

The man sighed, "Why don't you hurry along and go to the academy? Your team mates might already be waiting for you" he stated…

"Oh… ok…" she mumbled and started walking away, "Sakura" she paused when she heard her father call her name but didn't turn around, "Don't get killed" he said.

The girl was shocked to hear that...

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"Hi Sakura-Chan! You're late…" Naruto said as she walked towards her friends.

"Hey Naruto." She smiled half-heartily and Sasuke took notice of this, _'what's wrong with her…? Is it still about what happened yesterday? Honestly I suspect that this 'face from the past' Sakura had to meet had something to do with this…'_ he thought bitterly as the three entered the building…

…

**Raven: "Madoka" is a unisex name that means 'circle' or 'flower' I decided it was the best name for Sakura's father because Sakura means "flower (Cherry blossom flower)" too and also because the Haruno symbol is a circle to create irony.**

**It has always bothered me that Naruto and Sasuke have exposed their pasts since they are the main characters but Sakura is the main female character too and the series has never introduced her parents even for one second! I mean, Even Ino who is a side character her father was introduced! **

**Anyway I hope you enjoyed it. Review please! And tell me your thoughts.**


	10. Chapter 9: the Chunin Exams!

**Raven: Aw man... ok I have an announcement... unfortunately school is starting tomorrow and I have to do my homework now… so this will probably be the last update I get to post for at least a week or something… anyway… my point is I won't be updating so fast anymore but I'll try to ok? Enjoy! I made it extra long for you!**

**P.S. there are probably a few mistakes here and there because I'm uploading it so quickly AND without double checking it so yeah…**

**Chapter 9: The Chunin exams!**

They stood in front of room 301; two Chunins weren't letting anyone in…

Sasuke had noticed the obvious illusion.

"Let us through and drop the illusion while you're at it. I have business on the third floor" he said and the Chunin smirked, "So, you noticed?" he asked.

"It was easy… right Sakura?" he asked and the girl's eyes widened, "You were probably the first to notice… after all, you're the most analytical and the best of our cell at understanding the art of illusion." He said and winked at her, Sakura blushed and lowered her head, giving a soft smile, _'Sasuke-kun… thank you…' _she looked up and smirked, "of course I did, obviously we're still on the second floor" she said.

The illusion broke.

Sasuke gave a barely visible smile, happy that he succeeded in lifting the pinkette's spirits.

Suddenly, the Chunin went to attack the Uchiha but a boy clad in green with a black bowl-cut hairstyle stopped both Sasuke's and the Chunin's kicks… surprising all of them.

"That's not what we agreed! You're the one who insisted we should avoid drawing attention to ourselves." Another boy with pale lilac eyes scolded him, "But…" the boy in green started, he looked at Sakura and blushed… which caught all of team 7's attention.

A brown haired girl with two buns shook her head, "here we go again…" she mumbled as he walked over to the pinkette.

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"Hi, my name is Rock Lee. You're Sakura aren't you?" the black haired boy asked and the girl slowly nodded, not sure what he wanted…

"Will you go out with me? I promise I'll protect you with my life!" he announced and Sakura sweat dropped at the sudden, unpredicted question…

Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance and Sasuke only rolled his eyes, already knowing how this would end.

"No way… for two reasons…" She lifted her index finger, "One: I don't even know you…" the girl grumbled, lifting her middle finger next to the index "…and two: you're not my type…" she deadpanned and Lee slumped in rejection "Aww…" he grumbled; Naruto chuckled and Sasuke smirked at the humorous sight but his attention turned elsewhere when he heard someone calling him, "Hey you!" the Uchiha turned around to see the lilac eyed boy walk up to him, "What's your name?" he asked and the whiskered boy sizzled, _'it's always Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke!'_ He growled under his breath.

"It's common courtesy to give your name first" Sasuke replied and the boy narrowed his eyes, "Hm… You're a rookie aren't you?" The boy questioned, ignoring the Uchiha's remark and Sasuke narrowed his eyes as well, "I don't have to tell you anything" he replied and with that, both turned away from each other, _'this exam is turning into a freak show'_ Sasuke thought.

"Come on guys let's go!" Sakura chirped as she grabbed her comrades' hands and skipped away, pulling a sulking Naruto and a disgruntled Sasuke along.

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Rock Lee had challenged Sasuke and the boy accepted.

Sakura shuddered when Lee winked at her, "No Way!" she yelled, "You're an angel!" he replied and the poor girl dodged the heart being aimed at her face…

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Naruto had challenged the boy first but it ended before it even started…

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Sasuke finally fought Lee but lost to him as well even if he lasted longer than the blonde.

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After the awkward moments with Rock Lee, his freaky teacher Gai and confronting Kakashi in the hallway, they finally reached room 301…

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Just as they entered, they were shocked to see so many people… 'Whoa…" Sakura thought anxiously.

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Suddenly someone tackled Sasuke from behind!

"Sasuke-kun! Where've you been, cutie?" a voice piped and Sakura looked to see Ino clinging to the Uchiha from behind, "I could hardly wait! It's so exciting seeing you again!" she squealed in delight; Sakura growled.

Her Inner snarled in anger and Sakura accidentally voice out her thoughts…

"Ino-pig, get your hooves off of **MY** friend!" she yelled…

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…Startling her two team mates with her weird behaviour.

Sakura blushed when they looked at her oddly, "Uh… I mean… he doesn't seem to enjoy being tackled" she tried to cover up, "Nice to see you too Sakura" Ino rolled her eyes and got off of Sasuke, she placed a hand on her hip, "Long time no see forehead-girl" she said and Sakura scowled, "Yeah, how've you been doing Piggy?" she shot back and the girls glared at each other, they then turned away from one another, "Humph!".

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The rookie nine had met up and proceeded with the first exam…

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The exam was a written test…

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26 teams had passed thanks to Naruto.

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"Naruto, you are one unpredictable ninja" Sakura laughed and patted the boy's back as they walked towards their next exam… the boy's cheeks flushed a rosy pink and grinned, "Thanks Sakura-Chan!" he chuckled and scratched his head.

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They reached the forest of death… and all gulped down their saliva in nervousness…

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Sakura felt restless for some reason… and it wasn't from the creepy looking forest…

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She now knew that she got this chill whenever a person's aura radiated death, bloodlust or danger.

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Though this specific threat wasn't aimed towards her, she still didn't like it…

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The pink haired girl looked around and caught sight of a mysterious ninja with a straw hat, long black hair and strange attire with a weird looking purple belt on.

The girl followed the Shinobi's gaze and saw Sasuke…

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A feeling of protectiveness filled Sakura's being as she noted the ninja looking at him with bloodlust; the raven boy didn't notice…

Her instincts screamed PROTECT as she stepped next to the Uchiha in a specific angle that prevented the creepy Shinobi from staring at the raven boy any longer because she was in the way. The pinkette didn't make eye contact with the ninja so he wouldn't notice she did it purposely, but she could still feel the annoyed glare stabbing her back and the girl inwardly snarled, glancing back at the man.

"_**If you stare at Sasuke any longer I'll stab your eyes out with a kunai and stuff them down your throat!"**_ her inner thoughts hissed as she turned back to the examiner.

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The examiner named Anko smirked in seeing the Genins' nervous state, "You're about to find out firsthand, why they call this 'the forest of death'" she stated and Naruto huffed.

"Oooooh_, 'you're about to find out firsthand, why they call this 'the forest of death'_ Hah! Like that's going to scare me!" the blonde mocked in a girlish tone "Cocky one aren't you?" Anko grinned evilly.

Before he could comprehend what happened, the woman took out a kunai and threw it at the side of his face; a small graze ripped across Naruto's left cheek, leaking a little blood as the kunai embedded itself in the ground not too far away; she was behind him before anyone knew it and the boy gasped, "heh… your kind are always the first to go…" Anko grinned and licked his cheek, lapping up the blood that trickled down the blonde's face, "…spilling all that rich, red, lovely, luscious blood" she smirked as his eyes widened.

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Sakura's eyes narrowed in a glare, _**"You dare threaten Naruto! I'll kill you and then suck the blood out of you, witch!"**_ the voice screeched in rage.

Sakura tensed; that chill came back full force as the grass ninja that was staring at Sasuke came up behind Anko and Naruto, holding the kunai with his… abnormally long tongue.

"Your kunai knife, I believe you dropped it" he said politely; Anko licked the blood from her lips and smirked, "thanks" she said and took the weapon. But instead of backing away, the Grass ninja didn't move.

Sakura's instincts flared when she noted that the Shinobi was looking at Naruto in a way she didn't like… more specifically, his bloody cheek… Naruto noticed his stare and gave a very visible shiver, his eyes bulging in slight fear.

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"Don't just stand there radiating bloodlust, unless you're in a hurry to die" Anko said and the man recoiled his tongue, "I'll try to keep it under control but the sight of warm, fresh blood drives me crazy… and I was already revved up in losing a strand of my precious hair" he apologized, not really being sincere.

Sakura walked over to Naruto, pulling the boy behind her in a slight tug; the blonde looked at her in question but she didn't acknowledge him as she gave the grass Nin an ice cold glare.

The strange Shinobi looked at her…

A thin layer of goose-bumps covered her skin but she didn't look away out of stubbornness…

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That look the grass Nin had… a predator's stare…

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She knew by intuition that this guy wasn't one she could mess with… he was much, MUCH more dangerous than that Gaara kid… something rang at the back of her mind in alarm, his gaze literally chilled her to the deepest part of her mind… even her _'Inner Sakura'_ was uncomfortable as she tried to stand tall…

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The grass Nin did a once over to Sasuke that was standing not far away with a cautious look on his face, then at Naruto behind the girl who was confused and nervous; then his gaze shifted at her again, a small hum escaped his lips after a moment and he retreated back to his team mates; he seemed to be interested in her team and Sakura did not like it one bit…

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The purple haired woman smirked, "Hm? A little protective of your team mates aren't you?" her question was more of a statement and Sakura shifted her gaze to the woman, "Yeah and I suggest you don't do that again" the pink haired girl said, gesturing to the scrape on Naruto's cheek as the boy wiped the blood off.

The woman's smirk widened, "Or what?" she asked, lowering her head to the girl's height, flashing her kunai knife at her and looked at the pinkette straight in the eye …

"_**You touch my boys and I'll rip that pretty face right off your skull!"**_

…Anko's pupils dilated in curiosity when she spotted a strange spark in Sakura's eyes light up for a second and felt the smallest of difference in the girl's charka signature, like a flicker of electricity would be spotted for a millisecond. Nobody else noticed it because it was so faint; they weren't as close to the pinkette as she was but that charka signature the kunoichi in front of her flashed for a moment perked her interest.

The woman's eyes shifted to Sasuke, Naruto and then back to Sakura; she grinned and stepped away from the girl, "Hm… looks like we have a hot-blooded team on our hands this time out! Should be fun!" Anko chirped and started explaining the rules and was about to hand out consent forms.

"_**That's right witch, don't mess with me!"**_ Sakura gave a satisfied grunt and turned to her team mates who looked at her with confusion; she gave a reassuring smile, easing their minds.

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They finally entered the forest of death…

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A scream caught their ears… "Did you hear someone scream?" Sakura asked as they all looked behind them, "This place is creeping me out…" she shivered, rubbing her arms…

"Relax Sakura-Chan, it's no big deal" Naruto said and placed his hands behind his head in a careless manner.

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No… When she said that, she didn't mean the forest's appearance… she felt eyes shift over her…

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"Aw man! I gotta leak!" the blonde practically announced and a vein popped in Sakura's forehead, her thoughts vanishing with that single... stupid sentence…

The blonde went to take the leak in front of her but before he could unzip his pants the girl hit him over the head, "You idiot! Not in front of a girl! Haven't I taught you ANY manners since we first met? Go in the bushes!" she yelled at him and he rubbed his sore head, doing as told.

"_**If it were Sasuke on the other hand…"**_ the dark part of her mind snickered and the pinkette's cheeks burned…

'_Oh Kami… I can't believe I just thought of that…'_ she huffed in embarrassment and crossed her arms, deciding not to make any eye contact with anyone…

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Naruto came out of the bushes, grinning, "Aw man what a relief! That felt good!" he chirped, Sakura was about to shoot a remark back for his terrible manners but then noticed something wrong…

She couldn't explain it…

But she knew…

That wasn't Naruto…

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"Guys? What-" before the blonde could say anything more he was punched in the face by Sasuke… he crashed right into the tree, "Where's the real Naruto?" the Uchiha ordered and the blonde looked at him confused, rubbing his cheek, "I don't know what you're talking about!" he shouted, "What happened to the wound the examiner made on your face? Also, your shuriken holster is on your left leg, Naruto's right handed… you are worse than Naruto in transforming… you fake loser" Sasuke glared at the impostor and 'Naruto' smirked, "How unlucky… I guess I have no choice" he said and in a puff of smoke the ninja appeared!

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The impostor had ran away after Sasuke injured him.

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The three Genin sat on the ground; Sasuke took on a grave expression and looked at both of his comrades, "If the three of us get separated, don't trust anyone even if they look like one of us. There is a possibility that an enemy will transform into one of us and approach… that's why we'll decide on a password" he stated and the whiskered boy hummed, "A password?" he wondered and Sasuke nodded, "If a different password is given, assume that he of she's an enemy no matter what they look like, got it?" he said and the two nodded…

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen carefully… "Ask the ninja song Ninki"… the answer is the following…

'It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene, there are no hideouts even in a quiet place, it is important for a ninja to know the right time, the time when the enemy is tired and let his guard down'… that's it." Sasuke finished and Naruto sweat dropped, "Uh… can you say it one more time?" Naruto asked and the girl sighed, now understanding why Sasuke said a long password…

"I said I'm only going to say it once, you moron; you don't remember anything do you?" Sasuke deadpanned and the blonde fumed, "Yeah I do! I just wanted to hear it one more time to make sure!" he defended and the boys started their insults again…

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That same chill ran up her spine… her eyes widened.

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"Oh yeah? Well-" Naruto started but a hand covered his mouth, "Shhh!" she shushed harshly, "Sakura, what-" Sasuke started but she shot out her other hand on his own mouth; "Shhh… someone's watching us…" she whispered and Naruto's eyes widened; Sasuke didn't look surprised as they slowly got up…

But instead of a frontal assault like they expected… something sharp pierced Naruto's cheek; suddenly the wind blew around full force!

They got separated as they were all thrown in different directions.

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Sasuke lay under some bushes and scanned the area… he saw Sakura walk up and look around; he got up and out of the bushes "Sakura!" he exclaimed when he saw her but then he narrowed his eyes, inwardly cursing himself, _'Damn it! I gave away my position too quickly! What if that isn't Sakura? I let my guard down around her too much!'_ He thought sourly.

When she approached him he held up his kunai, "Stay back! What's the password?" he asked and the girl nodded, repeating every word.

Sasuke inwardly sighed in relief and lowered his kunai, "Okay…" he said and they saw Naruto run up to them, "Hey guys are you ok?" he yelled.

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That cold feeling again…

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"Wait Naruto, what's the password?" Sasuke asked and the boy grinned, "oh the Ninki right?" Naruto stated and scratched his head; the girl narrowed her eyes…

"_**Danger!"**_ her instincts screeched.

Before the boy even started the password Sakura flung a kunai towards him, he dodged it and looked at her in shock, "Sakura! What was that for?" the blonde yelled; Sasuke stared at her bewildered, "Sakura, he didn't even start the password! What if it really is Naruto?" Sasuke shouted in question and the pinkette glared at Naruto

"That's not Naruto…" she stated; the Uchiha was confused, "How do you know if he didn't say the Ninki?" he asked and the pink haired girl growled, "Sasuke-kun… I've known Naruto ever since we were six, you can't seriously expect me to not see all the flaws…" she growled and took out another kunai.

"What flaws? It's me!" The blonde shouted but the girl remained tense.

"…In case you haven't noticed he always calls me 'Sakura-Chan' not just 'Sakura'… he dodged my kunai differently… he doesn't scratch his head in that fashion…" she said and Sasuke narrowed his eyes, realising she was right.

"…His grin is off, I know exactly how OUR Naruto smiles and that's not the way he does it… but what really gave him away was his eyes… they don't reflect the boy I know" she finished.

Sasuke now glared at the faker, "Show your real self" the Uchiha demanded; Naruto smirked and licked his lips "I see"…

A large poof of smoke and the grass Nin appeared…

Sakura gasped, "Hm… you sure keep your team mates close enough to know every detail about them" the Shinobi stated, "So you don't keep your guard down… looks like I can have more fun than I expected" he smirked, _'I hope Naruto is ok…' _Sakura thought and tensed as the Shinobi went to grab something in his pouch; he took out the scroll of earth…

The two gasped and the Ninja laughed "This is the scroll you're looking for? Well…" he started and literally swallowed the scroll whole!

Sakura's stomach lurched…

"Now let's begin… the fight over our scrolls… by putting our lives on the line!" he said and pulled down his eye lid!

Sakura and Sasuke gasped in shock as they looked into the Shinobi's eye…

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Suddenly blood splattered everywhere; Sakura felt like she was burning alive as thousands of tiny needles pierced her skin… a kunai embedded itself in her forehead…

She gasped for air… a screech pierced the air as she slowly perished…

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Sasuke threw up...

He tried to stand but he couldn't… the only thing he knew was that he was alive _'It was just intent to kill! After seeing his eyes, I was imprinted with an image of death! But he made me feel it… and believe it! Who is this guy?'_ the Uchiha thought as he trembled in shock and fear; he slowly turned his head around to look at his friend beside him… _'S-Sakura…'_ his eyes widened when he saw her state; tears ran down her face as her whole being trembled.

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Death…

She died…

Everything was black…

She couldn't see anything even if her eyes were wide open…

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"_**No!"**_ a voice rang in her mind, _**"Move!"**_

Her vision was slowly turning colourful again… _**"Move!"**_ it repeated.

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Sakura now saw and thought clearly but she still couldn't move, she looked up to see the kunai flying towards her head… _**"MOVE!"**_ her instincts screeched and she managed to dodge just in time; arms wrapped around her frame before she could do anything else, abruptly lifting her up and shot off in the trees.

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Sasuke held Sakura in his grasp as he ran away from the insane Shinobi, his thigh hurting from piercing the kunai in it to escape, _'we need to run… I have to keep Sakura safe from that freak and I have to find a way to evade him! He's not normal!'_ he thought hastily.

Finally they reached a specific spot and landed on the huge branch; Sakura managed to get herself together and looked at her team mate, "Sasuke-" she started but she was abruptly grabbed by the arms, turned around and her back slammed on the tree trunk… a trembling hand slapped over her mouth; Sasuke sat on his knees an inch away from her covered face, his pupils were dots as sweat dripped down his chin, the look in his eyes told her he was not only afraid… but frightened.

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She had never seen him like this…

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The pink haired girl was rather uncomfortable from being sandwiched between the humongous tree and Sasuke; he stood close to her as if trying to protect her; his whole being shivered in fear…

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If any other less dangerous and life threatening situation, she would have blushed a deep scarlet from being so close to her crush… but now her mind didn't even think of that.

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Sakura lowered his hand from her mouth, cupped his face with both hands and looked at him in the eye "Sasuke! You need to snap out of it!" she whispered harshly.

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She had definitely never seen him like this… the boy grabbed her hands that held his cheeks but never made a move to remove them… he was still in the state of shock and fear.

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Sakura's eyes bulged in terror when she saw a huge snake just behind Sasuke not too far away, ready to attack; "Sasuke get out of the way!" she yelled and the Uchiha finally snapped out of it and looked behind him to see the huge reptile attacking!

He pushed the girl out of harm's way and jumped away from the snake as it attacked again; Sasuke activated his Sharingan and in the snake's eyes… saw the grass ninja glaring at him!

Now full out terrified Sasuke screamed in horror and threw shuriken at the huge reptile, "GET AWAY FROM ME!" he yelled; the shuriken embedded in the snake, effectively killing it.

He landed in a tree not too far away and looked to see Sakura a few trees further down, they both looked back at the snake and gasped in horror; the Shinobi crawled out of the snake… "You can't let your guard down for even a second, stay on your toes like a good prey should! It makes the chase much more rewarding… for the predator!" The black haired grass Nin smirked and his body twisted around the tree in a way that only a snake could…

But shuriken embedded themselves in front of him, making him stop.

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"Sorry Sasuke… but I don't remember that stupid password!" they looked up to see their blonde friend, Sakura smiled brightly, thanking Kami he's alright. "Naruto! That was awesome!" she cheered and the snake Nin glared at him.

"Naruto! You must have come here to show off by helping us, but don't get involved! This guy is way above our level! Run!" Sasuke yelled and the blonde looked at the man's twisted body, "so you've defeated the giant snake… Naruto-kun" the Ninja stated.

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Sakura furrowed her brows in frustration, what can she do?

The fear had overwhelmed Sasuke and Naruto went berserk from fury, while the blonde had literally punched some sense into the Uchiha who had shockingly acted like a coward and tried to give up their own scroll of heaven…

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She thought hard but didn't manage to do anything as she watched Naruto getting thrown around by the Ninja and the recently summoned snake…

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"_**NO! DO SOMETHING!"**_ Inner Sakura yelled; the girl held her head in pain as massive amounts of charka gathered in her forehead again, just like at the land of waves...

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She was shocked to find Naruto stop the giant snake from attacking Sasuke… all the while she watched them…

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"_**MOVE, YOU USELESS LITTLE WEAKLING!"**_ her thoughts screeched as her forehead burned…

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"Hey… are you hurt… you big chicken?" Sakura gasped at Naruto's words… even if it was directed towards Sasuke she couldn't help but feel like she was the chicken… she didn't do anything while her friends were getting killed out there…

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'_You're weak…'_ her father's words rang in her mind…

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Ire filled her being… '_I'm not weak!'_ she thought angrily as she sprinted off the ground with kunai in hand. The girl attacked the Grass ninja from behind; at the last second he caught sight of her and blocked the kick being aimed at his head, surprise showing his features.

"GET AWAY FROM THEM!"

Sakura's scream echoed in the forest as she threw the kunai at him, it embedded in his shoulder and he grunted; he didn't expect the girl to attack him.

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"Sakura-Chan?" Naruto's voiced out; his red hues turned blue again from hearing her voice and they both looked to see the pinkette attacking the Snake Nin.

He pulled out the kunai from his shoulder-blade as Sakura went for another attack, barraging the ninja with shuriken; he managed to leap off the snake and on a tree to avoid the weapons, "Sakura?" Sasuke shouted in confusion as the pinkette stood on the now unmoving snake.

The grass Nin was rather surprised and curious about the change in her charka, "Hm… I honestly didn't expect you to attack me… but you ARE rather protective of your friends as I noticed at the gates before…" he said; the two boys looked at her in shock.

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Sakura now let her inner thoughts and feelings partly leak out…

Meaning she's furious…

"HELL YEAH! YOU TOUCH A HAIR ON MY BOYS AND YOU'RE A DEAD REPTILE YOU CREEPY BASTARD!"

She yelled rather loudly and pointed at the Shinobi, his eyes glinted, "**My **boys? So you have a strong connection with them…" the Snake Nin smirked, "this will be fun…" he cackled as the girl attacked once more.

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Sasuke's eyes widened when he noticed the man smirk, "Sakura NO!" he yelled but she didn't listen and aimed a punch at the man's face… he dodged easily and struck her in the ribs, cutting her air for a moment and just as quickly his tongue shot out and wrapped around her neck, she gasped in pain.

"Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled and shot forward but the huge snake finally moved and flung Naruto on the other side; the boy crashed in a tree as he tried to get up but he couldn't in his slightly weak state… he looked to see the pink haired girl squirming in the man's grasp, his heart raced for her well being, "SAKURA-CHAN! Let her go!" he screamed out.

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She struggled, clawing at his tongue but it was no use…

"LET ME GO YOU FREAK OR I'LL SHOVE YOUR TONGUE UP YOUR NOSE AND STAB YOUR BRAIN WITH IT!" she threatened in a screech.

The snake Nin narrowed his eyes in annoyance and offence, "Now that's not nice…" he hissed and approached the girl, "You need a lesson for manners" he smirked and the pinkette coughed, now out of breath "And you need some breath fresheners!" she managed to shoot back and the man chuckled, tightening his hold on her neck; she gasped in pain, her lungs now burning from the lack of oxygen "oh my, this one has a sense of humour" he laughed.

She glanced over at her team mates, Naruto continually tried to get up and Sasuke stood stock still in shock.

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"Sakura…" the Uchiha whispered when he saw the look in her eyes… they presented a whole new different Sakura…

Her emerald orbs were now wild and ferocious… opposite to the usually cheerful and caring girl he knew…

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Seeing her friends in need, her insides burst in flames of fury as she struggled once more even if she couldn't breath… with the last of her strength she grabbed a kunai from her pouch and stabbed the man's tongue, he gasped in pain and harshly threw her aside, "but still an annoyance!" he hissed.

The pinkette slammed on a nearby tree, feeling her bones rattle and her muscles ache from the force of the blow; she coughed out blood on impact and fell on the lower branch, trying to get up but couldn't… her body now utterly weak…

"Stay conscious… stay conscious…" she chanted, succeeding to sit up and forcefully clear the black spots in her vision.

Her Will the only thing keeping her from fainting of exhaustion…

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Naruto looked at the girl. "Sakura-Chan…" he whispered, growling animalistic when his gaze shifted back to the Snake Ninja and he saw red once more…

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The man saw the boy attacking "AAAAHHHHH!" Naruto screamed in fury as he clawed at the Shinobi but he was prepared this time and swiftly tangled his tongue around the blonde.

"LET ME GO YOU SNAKE BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU FOR HURTING HER!" he yelled, squirmed and clawed the air with his sharp nails, trying to break free as the man wrapped his tongue around him even more, _'I better end this quickly, I can feel even more Kyubi charka leaking out of the boy in his anger, I won't be able to sustain him if I wait any longer!'_ the man thought as he preformed the hand seals, he got the boy closer and lifted his shirt, seeing the seal of the nine-tails…

His fingers glowed blue and slammed his hand on Naruto's stomach, "AGH!" Naruto screamed in pain as his vision blurred, the charka dispersed and Naruto's eyes turned blue again as they shifted closed…

The boy fell unconscious…

"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled and tried getting up to catch the blonde as the Snake threw him behind him and pummelled to the ground but she couldn't… thinking quickly, she threw her kunai knife at him, it caught the loose end of his jacket and pinned the boy to the tree, saving his life.

Sakura looked over at Sasuke and the girl's eyes narrowed at his still frozen state; she would have punched him out of his stupor herself if she could move.

"SASUKE!" the girl screamed and the boy snapped out of his stupor at the sound of his name being called, he shot his head towards her… "Naruto may be an idiot but at least he helps his friends when they need him! HE'S NO COWARD! RIGHT?" she yelled in anger.

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'_Foolish little brother… you're pathetic…'_ His brother's words echoed in his mind…

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_If you want to kill me, settle for hating me until you can…_

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_Hate me… _

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_And live like the coward you are!_

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_Cling to life… without honour!_

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Something snapped in Sasuke…

"NO!" he yelled.

Sakura gasped when she saw him activate his Sharingan and attacked the Snake man…

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_I've been living with the hope of one day killing my brother. I thought it was the most important thing…_

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Sasuke barraged weapons at the man as he dodged and went to attack the boy but with the help of his Sharingan he ducked and went to strike the snake ninja again.

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_But maybe I've been the idiot all this time!_

_Because someone who can't stand up and fight in times like this, wouldn't stand a chance against… HIM!_

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_Sakura! Naruto!_

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He threw some shuriken again and the man dodged but ended up tied to the tree by sting and Sasuke preformed the dragon-flame technique!

The man burned…

Sakura grinned, "He did it!"

She leaped over to Sasuke, finally having enough strength to move…

Sasuke panted, "Are you ok Sasuke-kun?" she asked and placed a hand on his shoulder.

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But they gasped when the man easily broke free of the restraints… his face was melted off… but under the flakes of peeled skin was another face…

They did a huge mistake by looking into his eyes…

They couldn't move… a paralyze technique…

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"Heh… That one so young should have such mastery of the Sharingan mirror eye power; truly a worthy successor to the honoured name of the Uchiha clan! In fact, I want you after all!" the man laughed.

Sakura snarled, _**"You want him? Over my dead body!"**_ her Inner screeched as she clenched her fists.

"You two really are brothers! Your eyes say that you carry even more potential than Itachi himself!" he smirked and Sasuke gasped at hearing his brother's name, "WHO ARE YOU?" he yelled, the man took out their scroll of heaven and burned it in his palm…

"I am Orochimaru, if you wish to see me again, pass this exam like your life depended on it" he said and the scroll burned to ashes…

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Suddenly he preformed another seal and his head dislodged and his neck expanded to impossible measures…

Sakura's eyes widened… she knew he was going for Sasuke… but she was paralyzed and couldn't move…

"_**NO!"**_ her inner screeched for the Uchiha boy as Orochimaru bit down on his neck…

"_**KILL HIM!"**_ Inner Sakura screamed in fury as the girl somehow managed to move, she yelled and aimed a hard punch at Orochimaru but she missed when his head quickly retreated back to his body… his neck taking on its normal appearance…

Sasuke screamed and held his neck as he fell on his knees in pain.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM YOU SON OF A-?" Sakura yelled but Orochimaru interrupted her.

"I just gave him a farewell present… he will soon seek me for power… you were a bit interesting as well, I'll remind myself keep an eye on you" he chuckled; Sakura snarled "I'LL KILL YOU!" she screamed and shot off towards him but he sank into the ground before she can lay a finger on him…

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The pinkette punched the place he was just moments ago, "I'll kill you… I'll kill you when I find you and feed your limbs to the wild dogs!" she yelled in the distance but Sasuke's screams of pain made her turn to him, "Sasuke!" she shouted and jumped back to him…

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He kneeled on the ground, gasping and yelling in pain…

Sakura's heart raced in worry, "Hold on Sasuke, don't give up!" she started panting in panic… "N-Naruto! Sasuke is…" she paused and looked over to the boy… he was still hanging unconscious…

"AAAAUGH!" Sasuke screamed and squeezed her hand tightly, it hurt and knew it would bruise but that was the very least of her problems…

The raven boy fell unconscious in her arms…

"Sasuke!"

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A cold fear crawled its way into her heart… the fear of losing them…

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Saltwater brimmed in her eyes as she started hyperventilating, "what should I do…?" she breathed out as the tears trickled down her face, "Oh Kami…" she sobbed and held onto Sasuke tightly…

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"_**Get a grip SAKURA! Don't cry like a sissy while their in pain! Protect them!"**_ that voice yelled and she furrowed her brows in determination; she lay Sasuke down gently and jumped over to the tree where Naruto hung limp…

The girl ripped out the kunai lodged in the bark of the tree that kept Naruto up and grabbed a hold of the blonde's limp form' she gasped as white hot pain shot all over her body, _'Argh! My muscles hurt! I must have damaged my body when that snake slammed me on the tree!'_ she thought but sucked it up and placed the blonde over her right shoulder, went to Sasuke and picked him up under her left arm; she shot off into the trees, carrying her two friends…

"I have to find a safe place!" she thought and looked around…

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Finally she saw a large space under huge roots of a tree that acted as shelter; she sighed in relief and jumped down.

The girl kneeled down and carefully placed Naruto down first on his back and then she turned Sasuke around on his back as well, next to the blonde…

The pinkette checked Naruto first; she unzipped his jacket and lifted his shirt to see if he had any injuries because of that strange Jutsu that bastard preformed on him…

She caught sight of the tattoo…

He had told her about that and said it was just a tattoo he made and liked it… she wasn't sure of that but never said anything about it…

She placed a hand on his chest to see if he was breathing properly… he was fine so she covered his chest and stomach with his shirt again and zipped up his orange Jacket.

Sakura then turned to the Uchiha who started hyperventilating; she lifted his head and removed his head protector, feeling his forehead and gasped _'he has a high fever!'_ she thought hastily and took out a small water canteen out of her pouch, she gently lifted his head and placed the tip of the water canteen on his lips, tilting it so the cool substance would relieve his dry throat… she ripped off a strand of her shirt, wetting it with the water and placed it on his forehead, _'what if enemies come? I need to set traps!'_ she thought and took out all the weapons she had, even taking some of Naruto's and Sasuke's…

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She had set the traps and was now sitting next to them, _'I will protect you even if it cost me my life…'_ the pinkette thought and shifted her gaze to Naruto… _'That's MY promise of a lifetime'_ she smiled, placing her hands over theirs; she looked at Sasuke _'his breathing is now stable but he still has a high fever… Don't worry Sasuke-kun… I'm here… and I WILL keep you safe… no matter what…'_ she breathed out.

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Her eyelids were slowly drooping; she shook her head, _'No! Stay awake!' _she mumbled and slumped down again…

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Sakura snapped her eyes open when she heard a yawn… she looked to see Naruto sitting up and stretching, "Ah… That was a great nap!" he chirped and glanced at the girl, his smile brightened, "Sakura-Chan!" A smile graced her lips when she saw her friend wake up, "Naruto!" she yelled happily "Ugh…" her gaze landed on Sasuke to see him sit up as well, he looked at her… "Did you nurse us?" he asked and the girl nodded; Naruto grinned "Thanks Sakura-Chan! I feel a lot better now!" he said, Sasuke smiled slightly… just like he had when they were younger… before the massacre of his clan… he had never smiled like that ever since…

"Yeah, thanks…" he said and the girl's eyes brimmed with water, she abruptly hugged the two boys, "I'm so glad!" she whispered happily.

She let go and the two boys started talking at one another…

…But she could hear a word they were saying…

Something was wrong…

She looked behind Sasuke and saw Orochimaru…

Her eyes widened when she saw someone else next to him…

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She saw… herself…

This wasn't the girl that she had seen before and had labelled as Inner Sakura

No… this was an exact copy of herself… the only difference was that the doppelganger had a nasty smirk on her face; her emerald eyes glinting in bloodlust…

"One who is prey needs to always strain their mind and run around… in front of a predator!" the man and herself had voice out in sync… Orochimaru's head twisted again and shot at Sasuke once more…

Her two friends, who were chatting, didn't notice a thing…

"You have a strong connection with them… this will be fun!" her other self cackled but she heard Orochimaru's words twist in with her voice…

She went to defend her friends but she was frozen in place… she tried to warn them but no sound came out… _'I can't talk!'_ she thought, grabbed her throat and watched as the Snake ninja bit onto Sasuke's neck once more… he shot a hand out and grabbed Naruto by the shirt, lifting it and slammed a hand on his belly, they both screamed in agony…

'_NO!'_ she tried to scream and shout but nothing came out of her…

Orochimaru smirked and threw them aside, slamming the boys on the tree and he disappeared into thin air…

She unfroze and ran towards their slumped figures… "Naruto, Sasuke!" she yelled and kneeled next to them…

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"Guys?" she asked and went to see if they're ok…

She froze when a clawed hand swiftly grabbed her wrist rather painfully tight before she can touch them; the two boys lifted their heads in sync and glared at her…

She gasped… half of Sasuke's face was covered with black tattoo-like marks and his Sharingan was activated… the difference was that his eyes were yellow and snake-like…

Naruto's eyes were blood red and slit vertically… his whiskers thick… fangs poked out of their lips and clawed hands grabbed her arms and shoulders…

They snarled demon-like… her eyes widened in fear as they went to strike by biting onto her…

…

**Raven: 0.o Sakura's in trouble! What did that snake do to them a second time? Will she be able to help her friends and live through it? Only the next chapter can tell!**

**By the way… the purpose of Sakura's Inner, her sharp instincts AND her past will be explained WAY later… when they grow a bit older… **


	11. Chapter 10: The pieces of Sakura's heart

**Raven: Ok… it's 1:42 am in the morning and I'm tired, starting Monday I'll be writing exams, probably even for the rest of the month too and I won't be updating anytime soon… this is a fairly quick chapter I put up even if it is a bit short compared to the other ones.**

…

**Chapter 10: The pieces of Sakura's heart**

Sakura snapped her eyes open and gasped; sweat trickled down her brow as she abruptly turned around, panting. Sasuke and Naruto were still lying in the same position she placed them; she held her racing heart, inhaling deeply and exhaled through her mouth to calm down, "Oh… thank Kami it was just a dream…" she sighed in relief and wiped her forehead free of sweat only to pause… realising she fell asleep; the pinkette face-palmed, "Stupid, stupid, stupid! What if someone came and killed us while I was sleeping? I'm hopeless…"

The pinkette sulked but tensed when she heard something rustling in the bushes behind her…

The girl grabbed a kunai with a shaking hand and slowly turned around…

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She looked behind her…

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And saw…

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A squirrel…

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"A Squirrel? Don't scare me like that!" she scolded the small animal as it scampered over to her… she gasped and threw a kunai at it, purposely missing it… it screeched in fear and ran away. She sighed in relief '_whew! That was a close one…'_ she thought, looking up… it was already dawn…

The girl flinched when she went to move, _'Ow! My body is still sore… sleeping in this position for hours didn't help…'_ she groaned and cracked her back.

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"_**Threat!"**_

Sakura's breath hitched and a shiver crawled up her spine, "heh, heh… you've been up all night standing guard eh?" a deep voice asked, she shot her head around to see three sound Nin looking at her, "as of now you're off duty. Just wake Sasuke for us; the three of us want to take him on" the one with the bandaged face said, the other male smirked at her when he noticed her shudder.

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"W-What are you talking about? I know that some guy named Orochimaru is the one who's pulling the strings! So what do you want? What does that mark on Sasuke's neck mean? Sasuke's in no condition to fight so go away!" she yelled and the three ninjas' eyes widened, "Hm… I wonder what Orochimaru's up to…" the bandaged Nin mumbled, "Whatever! I can't walk away after hearing that! I'll destroy you girl… and your little team mates behind you, nice and slow!" the other male yelled and smirked when he noticed the pinkette shiver again…

But Sakura didn't shiver this time in fear… she shivered in anger…

The arrogant boy's eyes widened in surprise when she glared hard at him, "You want them? Come and get them!" she yelled and took out her weapons, the boy chuckled and went to attack.

"Wait Zaku!" the bandaged kid stopped him "Wait? Why?" he asked as his team mate walked up, rather awkwardly, a bit further towards the girl and kneeled down, picking up a layer of grass "How unoriginal, the colour of the dirt indicates that it has just been dug up, this grass doesn't grow here. There is no point to a trap if it isn't set well." He told the girl, "How dumb, so she threw a kunai at the squirrel so it wouldn't get caught in the trap" the boy named Zaku stated and the bandaged Nin got up, he tilted his head in a creepy fashion "Let's kill her right away"

And with that they leaped high over the trap; Sakura only smirked and sliced a thin string just next to her.

A huge log swung down on them their eyes widened, "Crap!"

"Not."

The bandaged Nin placed a hand on the log and it exploded into tiny chumps of wood.

Sakura gasped as the three ninja descended upon her, "to be blunt, you have no talent at all, people like you need to be discarded immediately!"

A smile tugged at her lips when she quickly sliced another string and kunai shot out from hidden places all around the three, they halted their frontal assault and dodged the weapons, landing on the ground not too far away, "and people like you need to pay more attention to their surroundings" the pinkette shot back, smirking at the three glaring Sound ninja, "And there's more where that came from!" the pink haired girl added… her bluff bought her time as the three looked around cautiously this time.

She got up, taking a defence stance and narrowed her eyes, weighing the odds _'I can't take them all on, I'm tired, my body's at its limits and I'm outnumber three to one…'_ she glanced back at her unconscious friends, _'…but I'll give everything I got to keep them safe!'_ Sakura fixed her gaze back on the enemy to see one of them missing…

The pink haired girl panicked and looked around frantically; "Yeah right, you've got no more tricks up your sleeve girly" she looked up to see Zaku just a meter above her, sitting on the tree, smirking and aimed his hand at her; she knew that whatever attack he was going to do was going to kill both her and her team so with quick reflex she grabbed his hand at the last second and aimed it at the others.

A large gust of wind flew towards the other two and they dodged quickly, before the black haired boy above her could react she punched him in the face and he stumbled off the tree and away from her; he landed gracefully on his feet, he wiped the little blood that trickled down his chin and growled, "Ok, now you pissed me off! No more going easy on you! You're dead girl!" he yelled and the three charged towards her with much more force than before.

'_This isn't good!'_ fear gripped her heart as she waited to receive the blows from them.

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Konoha whirlwind!

Sakura opened her eyes to see a green blur kick the three away from her and in her line of vision stood Lee.

"I suggest you leave the cherry blossom and her team mates alone" the boy clad in green said, the squirrel from before was sitting on his shoulder as he stood tall and held one hand out as a defence stance; Sakura's eyes widened, _'He's…'_

"Who are you?" the bandaged Ninja hissed, "Konoha's beautiful green beast, Rock Lee!" he answered, all seriousness present in his voice, the girl looked up at him in question, "Lee… why are you here?" she asked.

"When you are in danger, I will appear at anytime" he answered, not taking his eyes off of the Nin; he chuckled and stroked the squirrel's fur, "Not really, actually it was thanks to this little guy here" he added and placed the squirrel down, "Go on" he shooed as it scampered away; the pinkette was still confused "But right now, I'm your enemy too!" she said, a small smile tugged at her lips, grateful for his appearance.

"I told you before that I will protect you with my life and I intend to keep my promises" he replied and the girl smiled, "Thank you" she whispered; the boy grinned, _'I did it! I did it perfectly guy sensei!' _he thought happily.

The bandaged Nin narrowed his eye and took out their scroll of heaven; "I guess we have no choice, Zaku, take care of Sasuke, I'll dispose of the other two" he stated and threw the scroll over to the male behind him.

Lee glanced at the exhausted girl, _'judging from her appearance, she's not fit to fight right now…'_ he thought as the bandaged sound Nin lifted his long sleeve, revealing a strange metal contraption a lot like armour with holes covering from his wrist up to his elbow…

Lee had fought the sound Nin and used that secondary lotus on him…

But that Zaku kid had prevented the terrifying blow by cushioning his team mate's fall with a Jutsu of his.

Lee was at his limits and the Nin hadn't even broken a sweat, _'that special Jutsu Lee used must have used up all of his strength on that blow, this is not good!'_ Sakura thought worryingly.

The sound Nin got up and attacked again, Lee dodged the attack but something went wrong… he fell on his knees and threw up… his left ear started to bleed…

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After realising what the enemy was capable of, Sakura didn't know what to fight back with… they had sound and she had nothing on her… _'Shit!'_

The Nin then went around lee and started running towards her, in alarm and panic the only thing she could think of was to raise a kunai in a failed attempt to defend herself but froze in shock when the boy in green suddenly ran up in front of her and stopped the ninja's attack, trying to use the Konoha whirlwind on him but his damaged ear caused him to loose balance "Looks like my previous attack worked!" The bandaged Nin attacked again by using the sound to penetrate his ear once more.

"LEE!" Sakura cried out as the boy screamed in pain and fell on the ground, defeated…

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The pink haired girl stood there… shocked.

"Now then… let's finish you off…" the bandaged Nin added and looked at her, she took out three kunai and threw them at him, "I can fight too!" she yelled but he deflected the blow easily, "Jeez…" he mumbled and she threw her shuriken at him but the black haired boy intervened and reflected her weapons using air pressure; she went to attack but her hair was abruptly pulled back and her exhausted body had no strength to fight back…

'_You're weak…'_her father's words repeated in her head.

"Your hair is glossier than mine…" the sound girl stated and pulled her hair back and forth, "If you have time to care for your hair, train more!"

'_You're not fit to be a ninja' _

'_I highly overestimated you Sakura'_

'_I'm Disappointed'_

'_QUIT'_

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Water droplets trickled down her face…

'_I'm… weak… always being protected…'_

'_DON'T YOU GET IT? YOU HAVE TO STAY SAFE!'_

'_GET BACK!'_

'_What if something happens to Sakura-Chan if I turn around for even a second?'_

'_SAKURA-CHAN! RUN!'_

'_I thought that it was my turn to protect my precious ones…'_

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"Zaku, kill those two in front of this pig" the brunette said and the boy smirked, "Good plan Kin!" he agreed and the bandaged Nin nodded, "yeah, now…"

At those words Sakura's eyes snapped open.

"Then let's do it" Zaku smirked as he casually and slowly walked towards her team mates in a careless manner as if it was too easy, taunting her…

"_**NO! I WON'T LET YOU HURT THEM!" **_Her Inner thoughts screamed in fury at the ninja but the girl remained still, _'What can I do…?'_ she thought in despair; her subconscious mind snapped, _**"I WON'T LET THEM DIE! NOT LIKE **__**HER**__**!"**_

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That reminder made Sakura take out a kunai as her anger drowned out the hopelessness, energy filling her body as she felt her exhausted muscles regaining a bit of their strength; charka gathering in her forehead again. "That won't work on me" the girl named Kin stated but Sakura chuckled, "What are you talking about?" was all the pinkette said before slicing her hair off to release herself from the sound's grip and the brunette stumbled back in shock.

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Lee… _'Sakura-san!'_

Sasuke-kun… '_Sakura…'_

Naruto… _'Sakura-Chan!'_

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Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.

"I promise… I won't let you die…" she whispered and glanced at the unconscious boys on the ground.

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Sakura slowly got up and turned to look at her three enemies, "You touch a hair on their heads and I'll shave you clean" she snarled.

The bandaged Nin stared in surprise; just when she looked ready to give up she changed abruptly when Kin mentioned about killing the three unconscious boys, like it was a trigger word.

Zaku tensed and his pupils dilated when her emerald hues shot in his direction without turning her head; her posture stood tall and her face took on a bloodthirsty expression.

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Something was not right about that girl.

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She looked at him in a way that made his insides run cold… he had never seen that look even on an animal before…

It almost looked… scary…

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Sweat trickled down his brow, the boy couldn't take her stare anymore…

"Kin, kill her!" he yelled and waved his hand at her in a gesture to hurry up, the girl obeyed and stabbed the girl with four needles but she dispersed into a log, _'a replacement technique?'_

Zaku smirked; his fear covered up by arrogance "Who does she think we are? Using such a basic technique" he muttered, already knowing she's on the right; he attacked her again and she dispersed into another log. He looked up, spotting her again, "Above, use it once or twice, it won't work on me!" the boy yelled and threw kunai at the pinkette and he waited for her to disperse again but he didn't see her, "Where'd she go?"

But his question was answered when he looked up again to see her descending upon him; she tackled him to the ground, stabbing his one arm and biting onto the other…

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Zaku started panicking, he repeatedly punched her head but she wouldn't let go, her eyes wide and staring at him… those eyes…

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They were scaring him…

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"LET GO! Dosu, help me get her off!" he shouted; Sakura released her bite but then bit onto the small of his neck, making him yell in slight pain.

The Sound Nin sensed the boy's fear, _'why is he afraid…? It takes something big to make Zaku scared, I better help him'_ Dosu looked at his other team mate who was looking on, also confused as to why Zaku was scared "Kin, you kill the Uchiha and even the blonde if you want, I'll deal with the pink girl" he said and the girl nodded, taking out some more needles with both hands and raced towards the boys.

Sakura's peripheral vision caught the other two moving, she saw the brunette moving towards Naruto and Sasuke and the bandaged Nin towards her… but her main concern was her boys.

She shot off of Zaku and raced towards Kin; Dosu running after her…

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Sakura knew she had no time to stop the girl…

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"_**I PROMISED!"**_ her Inner screeched.

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Blood spilt on the ground.

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Kin's eyes widened in shock; Dosu stopped his charge and Zaku got up to see what was going on.

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Kin had attacked both Naruto and Sasuke, a hand full of needles for each.

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But…

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Sakura was on her hands and knees, bent over the two; the four needles on one hand that had aimed for Sasuke were embedded in her lower back just next to the spine on the left side and the other four in the other hand dug into her right shoulder that aimed for Naruto…

The pinkette grunted in pain but refused to scream… she looked behind her at the attackers.

Her eyes shifted to Kin and the brunette's eyes widened, now knowing why Zaku was freaked out by the girl "You almost hurt them… you scared me for a second." Sakura chuckled and went to attack Kin, the girl jumped away to prevent it and the three sound Nin stared at the pinkette in disbelief.

She sat on her knees in front of the boys; her body shook in exhaustion from trying to stand back up as the needles were still embedded in her shoulder and lower back; the look in the pinkette's gaze was so intense it actually made the ninja in front of her uncomfortable.

She got up and took on a defensive stance in front of her team mates "You're going to have to get through me first if you want to hurt them" the green eyed girl breathed out; blood trickling down her open wounds.

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They sensed the abrupt change in her aura…

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Sakura was furious… no… infuriated was just a word… she couldn't explain the amount of anger that coursed through her veins like poison…

"_**LET ME AT THEM! LET ME KILL THEM FOR TRYING TO HURT MY PRECIOUS ONES!"**_

Her inner voice screeched, snarled and howled in fury as she scratched on the walls of her mind like a wild animal, her subconscious had leaked out of the girl which meant that her inner thoughts were no longer tame.

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Sakura fell on her knees…

She gasped hand heaved for air as her being trembled, feeling her forehead burn like never before… as if her brain had caught fire; she whimpered and held her head, breathing hard in short gasps as she tried to contain herself.

Dosu had caught sight of something faint on her forehead, it slowly appeared like someone was writing on it; the white smoke was barely visible and he squinted as he tried to read what it said…

'_In..n…er… Sa…? What is this…?'_ his curiosity peaked when he tried to read the words.

"Dosu! Let's get this over with and kill that Uchiha brat along with the witch!" Zaku yelled in frustration.

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" the pink haired girl managed to scream out and growled at them, straining her body to move as she heaved for air.

"Yes, let's do this quickly!" Kin added hastily and the three went to attack…

Sakura tried to get up… growling in frustration when she realised that her body wasn't able to move anymore…

_**I'll keep those safe who have a piece of my heart with them... even if it means shattering the rest of my heart in the process, along with my body and mind…**_

_**Sasuke-kun… Naruto… Lee… you three have just earned few of the biggest pieces… **_

…

**Raven: Oh me, oh my… suspense… I love it… what will happen next? Who is SHE? Only time and the next chapter will tell…**

**It would be interesting if you guess on who SHE is…**

**Yes I know, not very well written… but I did it for you awaiting fans because if it weren't for you, I would've waited longer (About more than a month)… but right now I have simply no more juice or inspiration for now… so enjoy this chapter and see you… WAY later… **

**ZZZZZZZZZ…**


	12. Chapter 11: The love of a friend

**Raven: 0.o I think people are dying because of me… dying to see what'll happen next! LOL… So yeah… here's another chapter so you won't turn into a cat and die from curiosity. **

…

**Chapter 11: The love of a friend**

Ino and her team hid in the bushes… they watched in shock while Sakura literally protected her comrades with tooth and claw.

Shikamaru's words echoed in her mind, _'Sakura's in danger; is that okay with you? Aren't you still friends despite the rivalry?'_

An image of a small girl, sobbing and all alone came in her vision…

"Hey Ino! What do we do?" the pineapple headed boy whispered. She glanced at him and narrowed her eyes, "I know we have to help but we can't do anything! We can't just jump in there!" she shot back.

But that was just an excuse… in truth she was afraid…

'_Even if I join now… I'll just get beat…'_ she thought, realising that her legs started trembling…

But her fear was replaced with shock when she saw Sakura attacking the sound Nin and biting onto him like a wild animal.

When the pink haired girl defended her comrades by getting in the way between the brunette's needles and the boys… Her pupils dilated into dots as she stood frozen in place like a statue.

'_Sakura…' _

"You're going to have to get through me if you want to hurt them…" Sakura breathed out, trying to get up.

Crying reached Ino's ears as a memory flashed before her vision…

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Five year old Ino walked along the empty path plated nicely with pale stones; going to the park to pick some flowers.

Suddenly she froze in her tracks when she heard sobs reach her ears…

She looked around but couldn't see anybody so she followed her ears, approaching the rather loud noises and saw a mop of pink hair connected to a small, curled up ball that was supposedly a body.

The small form shook as Ino realised in a split second that the sobs and wails were coming from the small girl.

She stopped in front of her and kneeled down, she hadn't noticed her so the blonde reached out and placed a hand on the pinkette's shoulder, "Hey little girl, what's wrong?" Ino asked but the second she voiced out the first word and touched her, the pinkette flinched hard and uncurled rather abruptly, falling on her back and crawled backwards, away from her.

The small pink haired girl started hyperventilating when Ino approached again and lifted an arm at a failed attempt to somewhat protect herself, shutting her eyes tight.

The blonde stared in question at the scared, petit girl "Hey, don't be scared, I won't hurt you." she whispered this time and gave a small smile but the pinkette was still cautious, "w-who… who are you?" the girl stuttered, her voice raspy and dry from crying so much, "I'm Yamanaka Ino!" the blonde chirped, "who are you?"

"S-Sakura…" the girl mumbled after a moment of silence, re-curling into a ball as she hugged her knees. Ino heard her but wanted to boost the shy girl's confidence a bit, "Hm? What was that? I can't hear you" she fake mused and placed a hand behind her ear to hear better, "I… am… Sakura!" the pinkette managed to shout her name, "Ah… Sakura! That's a nice name!" the blonde grinned and gave a thumb up.

"Why are you crying…?" she paused "Oh yeah, I almost forgot, you're the one that always gets picked on right? Don't worry, my mommy says that you shouldn't listen to the things meanies say!"

Fresh tears brimmed in Sakura's eyes; "I want my mommy and daddy…" she sobbed and tried to wipe her tears away with her small fist. Ino felt a twinge of sympathy for the girl so she got up and placed an index finger on her temples, "I see… you're forehead is wide… which makes you forehead girl!" the blonde stated and flicked her forehead, "Is that why you hide behind your hair?" she asked, the pinkette said nothing…

"You remind me of a shy ghost"

Sakura started sniffing and sobbing once more, somehow affected by those words… Ino looked at her, her baby blue eyes softening, "Sakura, right? Do you want to play with me tomorrow?"

Sakura's green eyes looked up at Ino in shock, "Y-you want me to play with you?" she stuttered and Ino nodded, giving her a soft smile, "Yeah! Come here tomorrow too, I have a surprise for you!"

…

"There you go Sakura-Chan! You look so cute! Keep the red ribbon, it suits you" Ino chirped as she stepped away from the girl after fixing up her hair to frame her slightly chubby face, revealing the pinkette's forehead.

Admiring her work, Ino placed her hands on her hips in a fashion that showed that she was proud of herself, the opposite of Sakura's stance. The blonde noticed this and lifted a brow when she saw the girl's teary eyes, "What's wrong? You don't like it?" Ino asked but the girl shook her head, "No Ino-Chan… I love it… thank you… but…" the girl started, "But what?"

"Why are you helping me? A-and why are you nice to me? I'm forehead girl… someone nobody wants…" she whispered and lowered her head.

The blonde haired girl narrowed her eyes, "I'm helping you because I had to! You're not unwanted Sakura! You just need to look for those who want you around! You can't stand in a corner and just hope that someone will notice you like I did! If you look hard enough, you might just find others who would love to play with you and be your friend!"

The pinkette looked confused, "How do I know when I find them?" she asked and the blonde grinned, "You just know… and about your forehead, you get picked on because you hide it, there might be people who won't like you but that's normal, everybody has people who don't like them… the trick is to not be afraid of those people. Don't be afraid of not being accepted, not everybody can like someone but that doesn't mean there aren't people who like you just the same!" Ino finished and with those words… for the first time… Sakura smiled, saltwater crystals of happiness trickled down flustered cheeks.

"Ino-Chan… are you my friend?"

"Yes… I am"

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Those four words echoed in her mind…

'…_Are you my friend?'_

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"Hey Ino! Are we going to help her or not?" her brown haired team mate voice out again at the girl's stiff as stone form.

"**Yes… I am"** Ino whispered and shot off of the ground, Shikamaru going after her, pulling Chouji along.

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Sakura shook in short breaths; her stare penetrating the sound Ninja.

Zaku's eye twitched, not liking that a pink haired girl who had no talent whatsoever created the uncomfortable twist in his gut with only her stare.

He decided to strike right away, "You bitch!" he yelled and aimed his hands at her.

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Three blurs blocked her vision…

The sound Ninja's eyes widened in surprise along with Sakura's, the girl's charka subsiding back to normal when she realised who stood before her, the faint, white letters disappearing completely from existence, nobody knowing they were there.

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"Ino?" Sakura whispered.

The blonde stood in front of Sakura's beaten form along with two males she recalled as Shikamaru and Chouji.

"Hey Sakura, I won't let you get all the good parts in front of Sasuke-kun right?" Ino smiled back at the girl and relief filled the pinkette's being.

"Ino… why are you helping me?"

The memories flashed in Ino's mind once more and she smirked… "I'm helping you because I have to…"

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Take care of those two back there." The blonde added and the pinkette nodded, a smile tugging at her lips.

'_Thank you… Ino…'_

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And with that… The battle formation of Ino-Shika-Chou began!

Unknown to them, Purple charka started embedding off of Sasuke's body like smoke, releasing into the atmosphere…

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Sasuke opened his eyes…

He stood on thin air as he looked around, nothing but black was visible before his eyes... he couldn't see anything… he looked at his hand to see his skin glowing slightly.

'_Where am I?'_ the Uchiha thought as he looked around.

Crying reached his ears…

He soon spotted a boy… black hair and black clothes, sobbing.

'_Is that… the young me…?'_

The young boy looked up at him, bloodshot eyes, saltwater trickling down his cheeks… his expression was that of self-hate.

"_**Mom and dad didn't have to die…"**_ the younger Sasuke whispered, a tear escaped his eye and fell onto the ground…

As the tear hit the ground the background abruptly changed and suddenly he was back in his home… two bodies lay before him.

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

His parents lay dead before him, the younger Sasuke across from him.

"_**Everyone was killed… because I didn't have enough power…"**_ he whispered… the boy's bangs shadowed his eyes, _**"The clan was wiped out…"**_

The Uchiha stared; his onyx hues brimmed with water but didn't shed a tear as self-hatred blossomed in his chest…

"_**I was alone…"**_

Suddenly the scene changed again…

He stood in Konoha streets… everything was black and white except for the younger Sasuke and himself who glowed faintly, a few people passed by here and there…

They were walking slowly as if time was slowing down.

The Uchiha saw his younger self across, looking left and he glanced over as well; another version of him (in black and white) was sitting on a bench alone… the people slowly passing him by as if he were a ghost.

"_**But they were there…"**_

He walked over to his black and white version, his younger self standing where he was; he noticed something in his peripheral vision and he glanced over to see a grey version of Naruto and Sakura slowly running over to his other self; Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled brightly while Naruto grinned, giving a thumbs up.

A small smile tugged on Sasuke's lips as he watched them chat, laugh and argue even if no word could be heard.

The black and white version of the Uchiha boy smiled slightly at their company and replied, their mouths moving but no sound came out.

Different flashes of the moments he had with his two best friends appeared before him… from playing a simple prank on one of the people in the village (dragged along by Naruto of course)… to the holidays they had spent and the sleepovers they had done all together.

The raven boy smiled slightly in peace, recalling that whenever he was with them, he forgot the troubles and dark memories of his… they shed light into his darkness.

If his younger self had not spoken he would have forgotten he was there, the boy's voice echoed in the silence.

"_**They are the only ones left who care about me…"**_

The happy scenes abruptly stopped, ripping Sasuke out of his short period of content state as he stood yet again in the abyss.

He looked at his smaller self; the tears were still present on the boy's face.

"_**But…"**_

The scene swirled into the previous background; back home again…

His parents lay before him once more… but their appearance changed as the room rippled like water… when it became steady again, Sasuke's eyes widened, his pupils dilating into dots and he gasped in horror…

"… _**HHHe can kill them too…"**_

In his parents' place lay Sakura and Naruto… their bodies battered and bloody and their skin pale… the raven boy took a step back as cold fear crawled up his spine.

"_**If you don't have power… you can't do anything!"**_ the young Sasuke cried out. _**"They'll die like everyone else in your clan had… because you're too weak!"**_ he added in a sob, _**"If only I had power… I can protect them!"**_

Sasuke's eyes widened more if possible when the small Uchiha held a hand up to his left eye, ripping the flesh off and revealing another yellow eye underneath…

"_**Will you let them die? Will you watch them be slaughtered by HIM like you did with mom and dad?"**_ he asked, the younger doppelganger's voice turned into a deeper, different tone.

"_**If only you had power… you can keep them safe from harm… you can protect Naruto… and especially your precious Sakura!"**_ the snake Ninja's words echoed in his head, _**"He'll Kill them if you don't kill him first!"**_

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Ino and her team had battled but failed to defeat the sound Nin yet; Lee's team had appeared as well and Sakura was relieved that they had all come…

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But she shivered as another chill crawled up her spine.

The pink haired girl ignored the bandaged Nin named Dosu and Neji exchange words; she looked behind her to see purple charka come off of Sasuke like steam… which soon engulfed him whole…

In between all of the purple energy she saw him slowly get up…

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Everyone was shocked in silence…

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But Sakura was the most traumatized…

She knew that was Sasuke in the flesh… but her instincts screamed THREAT.

The girl softly gasped when fiery red marks appeared on half of his body, slowly turning black, like tattoos… her eyes were wide and staring unblinking at him… eyelids trembling slightly from being so wide… the Uchiha now stood tall, the charka suddenly started swirling rapidly around him the second his eyes shot in her direction…

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Pure energy filled his being… he felt good… his weak muscles regaining their strength ten times over as he slowly got up…

When he snapped his eyes open the first thing he saw was Sakura… beaten, bruised and bloody… his gaze shifted behind him and saw a still unconscious Naruto on the ground.

Anger boiled in his veins and slight fear squeezed his chest when he saw Sakura's beaten up body, the image of her pale form re-entering his mind; the charka started swirling around more rapidly as more energy filled him…

He knew the Dobe was okay…

But Sasuke wasn't happy with the girl's state… not happy at all…

He couldn't wait to kill the person who did that to her…

His red eyes shifted to the sound ninja he did not recognise not too far away. Somehow he knew one of them did it.

They hurt someone very important to him…

"Sakura… who did that to you?"

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"Your body…" the pink haired girl couldn't find herself to say anything more…

"Don't worry… I feel fine… strong… bursting with power!" Sasuke replied, looking at his hand for a moment before lowering it again.

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Those marks…

They were just like the ones in that dream she had…

The raven haired boy looked almost exactly like the evil Sasuke she saw in her dream…

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"I got it from him… I understand now… I am an avenger… I must obtain power no matter what… even if it means selling my flesh to the devil…" _So I can kill HIM… and protect those important to me._

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Zaku furrowed his brows, that uncomfortable feeling twisting in his gut once more while Dosu's eyes were wide in fear.

Ino had released herself from Kin and fled into the bushes with her team, Shikamaru knew this was getting dangerous.

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"Sakura, say it! Who the hell hurt you?" the boy growled, not taking his eyes off of the sound ninja.

"I did!" Zaku announced to cover up his fear and Sasuke shot his gaze towards him a lot like Sakura had done earlier; the raven boy then fully faced him, stepping in front of his team mates…

'_**You hurt Sakura… you hurt my friend… MY friend! MY Sakura! MINE!' **_The dark part of his mind snarled as the tattoo-like marks spread across his face.

Dosu shivered in fear, _'his charka… it's huge! This is too much for us!'_

Zaku decided to grow a pair and made a hand seal by slapping his hands together, "Dosu! Don't be afraid of that half dead guy!" he yelled "No stop Zaku! Don't you understand?" the bandaged boy tried to warn but he didn't listen.

"I'll kill them all with this! I'll rip your little friends to pieces Uchiha!"

Sasuke's features took on a snarl at those words and Sakura gasped as Zaku aimed his hands at them.

"MAXIMUM AIR-CUTTER!"

The air blew around harshly as the Jutsu took effect on the forest before him…

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When he stopped… the Uchiha and his friends were nowhere in sight.

"Hah! I blew that pipsqueak to bits!" he laughed, huffing in slight tiredness from the technique but his eyes widened when a voice replied "What pipsqueak is that?"

He had no time to turn around, Sasuke swatted the side of his face and the boy was thrown off his feet from the force and landed hard on the ground, he gasped in pain as he slowly got up on his knees.

"Naruto!" Sakura checked to see if the blond was ok after Sasuke picked them up harshly and out of harm's way.

The raven boy looked at the pinkette who was checking on their whiskered friend, his eyes softening just a bit at the two.

'_They're okay…'_ he thought and snapped his head around to glare hard at the two males not too far away, they gasped.

He performed the phoenix fire Jutsu and shot the fireballs towards the sound Nin, "Don't get cocky! I'll erase them!" Zaku went to do so but under the flames were shuriken, he yelled in pain as they embedded themselves in him.

"Zaku, below you!" Dosu warned but it was too late… the boy was already on his knees, his arms pulled backward as Sasuke placed a foot in his back, "You seem to be proud of your arms" he stated and pulled the boy's arms further behind as he pressed his foot harder on his back, "No, Stop!" the sound Nin shouted, gasping in pain.

"The same arms that almost killed my friends…" Sasuke added, a smirk forming on his face "These arms need to be taken away so they can't hurt what's mine anymore"

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Sakura stood there… shocked… and frightened…

'_Sasuke will come and seek me…' _Orochimaru's words echoed in her mind…

Sickening cracks were heard as the raven boy snapped and broke Zaku's arms; "AH!" the boy screamed in agony and fell to the ground, not able to move…

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Sasuke stood over the fallen ninja; then turned back at Dosu, a smirk on his face "That leaves just you… you better entertain me more than him" the bandaged Nin shivered in fear, frozen in place as the Uchiha began walking over to him…

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The pink haired girl watched him walk past her… not able to believe what she was seeing…

'_That isn't…'_

Sakura's eyes brimmed with water as the dream appeared in her mind once more… _'No… that's not…'_

Memories of their time together appeared in her mind…

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The boy in front of her wasn't the Sasuke she knows and loves!

'_That's not Sasuke!' _

An image of Orochimaru came in her line of vision…

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"STOP!" the girl screamed and shot off of the ground, running towards the boy.

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She abruptly embraced him from behind… "Please stop!" she cried out.

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Shocked, Sasuke's red eyes shifted behind him to look at who touched him…

Crystal water streamed down from emerald gems…

_Sakura…_

"Please… Sasuke…" She whispered, her forehead resting on the back of his neck; feeling his team mate's body-heat felt somewhat soothing to the Uchiha…

These Sound Ninja hurt her and he needed to punish them for that!

They deserved to die!

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But Sakura asked him to stop...

He couldn't bring himself to disobey her…

He didn't like making her cry…

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With slight difficulty he suppressed the charka and the marks slowly retreated…

Feeling light-headed, the boy wobbled and fell back, breathing hard; the girl caught and steadied him.

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"We have no chance to defeat you Sasuke… Please accept our scroll and in return let us leave, after what we've done it might be a lot to ask for but something big is afoot that merits further investigation and confirmation… next time we face you, we will not hide or run…" Dosu said, placed the scroll down, picked up his team and started walking away…

"Wait! Who is Orochimaru? What did he do to Sasuke and why was he the one to choose?" Sakura yelled; the bandaged Nin turned around; "I don't know; we're just following orders" was all he said before walking away.

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"Ino, this might be troublesome but you take care of that Lee guy!" Shikamaru said while he and Chouji went to Naruto.

"Don't worry Sakura-Chan, I'll protect you…" the blond boy mumbled in his sleep.

"What should we do with him? Shall we kick him awake?" the pineapple boy asked and the chubby brunet picked up a stick, "Oh! Can I do it?" he asked.

Sasuke sat there… holding his shaking hand…

"What was I?" the boy asked himself, eyes wide from realising what had happened; Sakura said nothing…

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Sasuke was knocked out and the Grass Ninja was going for Sakura, she was beaten and couldn't manage to get up… he had to protect her!

"Sakura-Chan!" the blonde yelled and went in front of her as the snake Nin aimed his kunai at them. Kunai clashed with kunai, "I won't let you hurt her!" Naruto yelled at the enemy, but the snake ninja only smirked, "You can't always protect the ones you care about, Naruto" he said and the blonde growled, "Yes I can!"

The man grabbed both of the boy's hands, then shot his tongue over Naruto's shoulder and wrapped it around Sakura's neck, the girl struggled but couldn't get loose as he lifted her off of the ground; Naruto tried to get his hands free but he couldn't even lift his leg to kick him away, it was as if he were paralyzed; his body shook as he tried to make himself move but it was all in vain "Let me go you snake!" Naruto yelled as he grunted and tried to release himself from the man's grasp.

"Let's see what you'll do!" the Nin said and wrapped his tongue around Sakura's body, squeezing the life out of her "N-Naruto… help…me" she whimpered in pain and the blonde snarled, "You bastard!"

"What are you going to do Naruto?" The snake Nin taunted, "She and Sasuke will die and you won't be able to do anything about it! You can't protect them forever!" Orochimaru added in a chuckle and angry tears brimmed in Naruto's eyes, "Shut up! I can and I will!" he shouted but the snake ninja only chuckled, he released one of Naruto's wrists but the boy still couldn't move, the man lifted a fist, ready to land a blow on Naruto, "We'll see about that!" he said as his fist contacted Naruto's cheek.

POW!

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"AAAAHHHHH!" the blonde yelled as he snapped his eyes open and felt pain, he rubbed head, feeling a bump form. He sat up and looked around, the first thing he saw was Sasuke and Sakura's backs; he looked around and spotted Ino helping Lee.

The grass Ninja popped up in his mind and he threw himself on the ground again, looking around frantically "Get down! Where is he? Damn it!" he yelled and shot his head left and right.

The pinkette and raven boy looked back to see their blonde friend awake.

Ino rolled her eyes,_ 'the idiot… he's finally awake'_

Chouji poked Naruto's bump with the stick, "you're pretty dumb aren't you…? Actually, watching you pisses me off" Shikamaru stated and Chouji agreed; the blonde glared at them "Humph!" he sat up again and he then noticed something different about Sakura… her hair was cut.

He got an even closer look to see her form beaten up and needles stuck out of her shoulder and lower back. Naruto gasped "Sakura-Chan!" he yelled and abruptly got up; she turned around to see him running towards her "T-that, that…!" he panted and landed on his knees, sliding over to her and coming to a stop "Sakura-Chan! What happened to your hair…? No! What happened to YOU?" he yelled, looking over her bruised body, the girl smiled "Oh… this? It's nothing, uh… my hair… I'm just changing my image, yeah, an image change!" she said but the blonde obviously wasn't convinced with her state.

Sasuke and Ino stared at her, not uttering a word…

"Oh yeah? What about those? Are they some kind of image change too? Are you kidding me?" he yelled; pointing at the needles still embedded in her back; she looked at her shoulder, "Oh yeah… I forgot about those… I'll take them out…" she muttered and went to grab a needle from her shoulder but Sasuke stopped her, "No, if you take them out now more blood will leak out, we first need to gather medical supplies to treat your wounds" he said, his thought running _'What happened while we were knocked out?'_

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After Ino gave them the medical stuff, fixed Sakura's hair and the pinkette thanked Lee… the rest of the teams parted to rest up, leaving team seven behind.

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"Come on, we need to find a safe place to rest up too" Sasuke announced and walked over to Sakura, placing a hand behind her back and another under her knees; she looked confused, her cheeks reddening slightly "Sasuke-kun?" she asked and the boy grunted, "You aren't in any condition to move around right now" he stated and went to pick her up but Naruto took hold of his wrist, stopping him from lifting the pinkette, "Oh no you're not! You carried her last time! Besides, you're too beat up to pick anyone up either!" Naruto growled, the electric bolt flying between the boys.

Sakura wanted Sasuke to carry her but she knew Naruto was right; the boy was in no condition to pick her up.

While she thought of this she didn't hear the two muttering, "Humph! You think you're so cool; helping Sakura-Chan and try to look like the hero when you know I'm in better shape than you right now! You trying to impress Sakura-Chan or something?" Naruto gritted his teeth and Sasuke glared, "shut up Dobe, I'm not trying to impress her, I just want to help her!" he growled, "Then back off teme, she's better off with me!" the blonde shot back.

"Uh… guys?" the pinkette sweat dropped when she saw the electric bolts flying, they stopped the glaring contest and looked at her, "Injured team mate here?" she pointed at herself and Sasuke sighed, letting go of her "Whatever, just make sure you don't drop her, stupid" the raven boy said and got up, shoving his hands in his pockets. Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance, "Don't worry, I'm not you teme" the whiskered boy growled while softly picking up Sakura bridal style and Sasuke glared.

A vein popped in Sakura's head when they entered yet again another contest.

"Guys! Get moving! Having needles shoved in your back isn't very comfortable!" Sakura yelled, interrupting them "Oh… Sorry Sakura-Chan" Naruto apologized as they shot off into the trees.

Sakura wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck to make sure she doesn't fall; the blond was careful not to touch the wounds.

Sasuke rolled his eyes when he noticed Naruto slightly touch Sakura's forehead with his cheek, a smile on his face, holding her closer than he should; the girl didn't take note that it was a nuzzle and didn't really have a problem with the closeness, considering that she was held by her friend and nobody else she might have been uncomfortable with.

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They had finally found a place to rest, the large roots of a tree acted as shelter and a small stream flowed calmly nearby.

"We'll rest here" Sasuke said as they landed on the ground, the Uchiha gave an annoyed look when the blonde didn't place the girl down, the look on his face saying that he enjoyed holding her.

"Hey love-struck idiot, put Sakura down, I need to treat her wounds" the raven boy said while taking out the medical supplies from his pouch. Naruto turned beet red from embarrassment and placed her on the ground, "Shut up Teme, I'm not love-struck!" he defended.

"Well, even if I doubt that… you're still an idiot" the raven haired boy smirked and a giggle escaped Sakura.

Sasuke ignored the fuming Naruto who smoked by the nose and ears, walked up behind Sakura and sat down; he turned to the glaring blonde and lifted a brow "well? Make yourself useful and set camp you moron" he ordered and the whiskered boy lifted his sleeve, "Ok, that's it!" Naruto shouted and went to pummel him "Naruto! Please just do what he says, I'm in no mood to tolerate your fights!" the pinkette ordered and the blond stopped, he sighed in defeat and walked away, mumbling.

"Jeez, he's so annoying…" Sasuke muttered and grabbed a needle, "this might hurt" he warned the girl and pulled the needle out, Sakura yelped but tried to stay still.

When he took out all of the needles he took out the medical supplies, "Uh… I need to lift your shirt…" he grunted, the pinkette blushed in embarrassment as the boy lifted her shirt over her back and started treating the wounds, he was careful with them and bandaged them quickly, stopping the bleeding.

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After Sasuke was done treating the needle wounds he got up and sat in front of her, his eyes held seriousness and a frown adorned his face as he patted a wetted cloth on her bruised cheeks… he knew that Sakura fought to protect them but he didn't expect her to be this badly wounded.

"Sakura… what happened?" he asked, the girl winced when he placed the cloth on her bruise again "Well… the sound ninja came, you were out of it… I fought a bit to protect you and then the others came and saved our butts." She answered, Sasuke frowned even more, knowing there was more to the story but said nothing "Well by the looks of it, you fought carelessly and got beat up because of it" he stated and the girl looked down, "yeah…" she mumbled.

He wrapped the bandages around her bad eye.

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"I'm done" he said and the girl nodded, "thank you Sasuke-kun" she smiled softly and he nodded, "get some rest, you need it" the boy said, picking her up and carried her to the shelter, "Sasuke-kun! I can walk!" she squirmed, the Uchiha sighed, placing her down next to the roots, "No you can't, you will not do anything until the wounds heal, we can't risk them reopening" he ordered and the girl leaned on the root, "fine…" she pouted, crossing her arms.

"Hey teme! I got the firewood!"

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The sun had set…

The three sat around the small fire, leaning on the roots of the tree; Sasuke pondered while Sakura poked the fire with a stick. Naruto yawned… his eyes drooping…

"Hey Naruto… you can go to sleep" the pinkette whispered tiredly, Naruto nodded and leaned on her shoulder, "You mind?" he murmured "No, go to sleep" she said and the boy closed his eyes, dozing off.

Sakura yawned as well, rubbing her good eye; she hadn't gotten any sleep for at least two days…

"You should sleep too…" the raven boy muttered, glancing at her, "you need sleep too Sasuke-kun…" She answered and the boy cleared his throat, "Someone needs to keep watch" he replied, blinking away the tiredness.

"Whatever you want Sasuke-kun…" she sighed and closed her eyes, leaning in return on Naruto's head.

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Sasuke stared at his sleeping comrades… they looked so peaceful when they were sleeping... probably dreaming of nice things…

He was almost sure Naruto was dreaming of either becoming Hokage or ramen… Sakura also looked in peace…

He envied them… whenever he dreams, his dream is always a nightmare… a dream of that horrible night… he had never dreamed of something pleasant since then…

The boy stifled a yawn… he was tired but he had to keep watch… if an enemy came and they were all asleep, they would all be in big trouble.

He looked at them again; the dancing fire illuminated their faces, creating a soft glow on their skin and hair… Unconsciously the corner of his mouth tugged upward… he had to admit, they looked like little kids when they slept…

He cared about them more than anything even if he won't admit it to them… they're his light… his candle in the abyss…

Sasuke looked at Sakura's bandages.

…And if anyone tries to blow out that candle, he'll make sure they burn in hell along with him…

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His eyes drooped… the calmness and the chirping crickets tempting him to fall asleep…

His onyx hues managed to shift over Sakura's hand and his eyes widened slightly when he noticed a hand-shaped bruise on it…

The memory of the moment back there with Orochimaru appeared in his mind… he had created that bruise by squeezing her hand from the pain he was feeling after that snake bit him…

A twinge of guilt found its way into his system.

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Sasuke yawned… he was so tired… he wanted to sleep…

Unconsciously his head drooped and found its way on Sakura's other shoulder… his eyes slowly shut, his shoulders sagged and his body relaxed…

With half lidded eyes he looked up at Naruto and Sakura… Naruto stirred and hummed, shifting, his head rested on Sakura's chest, his arm draped around her and unconsciously clenched the fabric of the Uchiha boy's shirt… a look of pure calmness on his face.

'_Hm… Dobe…'_ the raven boy thought.

With Naruto's movement, Sakura shifted as well; her head, which was previously leaning on Naruto's, leaned back on Sasuke's head which was resting on her shoulder as she draped a hand around the blonde.

The Uchiha sighed in content and closed his eyes, finding the position they were in very comfortable… his palm found its way on Sakura's bruised hand; he laced his fingers with hers in a way of apologizing for creating the bruise.

He turned a little towards the two, his other hand caught Naruto's arm in return for clenching his shirt and the smile finally spread across his face…

The raven boy unknowingly dozed off…

…And for the first time in years… Sasuke dreamed of pleasant things…

He dreamed of the good times he had with Sakura and Naruto.

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**Raven: Ok just a head's up: When Sasuke said HIS Sakura, he did NOT mean HIS as in lover or whatever… same thing with the other two! Yes, our three heroes love each other but not in a threesome or couple-ish kind of way! The only 'romantic love' is with the crushes that are obviously shown.**

**Beware: Next chapter will NOT be published soon. I decided to be nice and not put a huge cliff-hanger. But heed my words… there will be more Cliffs! So make sure you don't fall off! **


	13. Sorry guys

Author note:

Sorry guys, but I won't continue this story any longer. It didn't have much of a plot and Sakura is just way too OCC for me.

Don't worry though, I'm writing another story with team 7 in it. I'm sure you'll like it. Everyone's more in character and it'll have a good plot, I promise! :3

It's called "Sakura" (yeah I know; lame title) see my profile and click it if you want!


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